The Ties That Bind
by Satanira
Summary: Click the link. Go to a new and magical world. Capture Bishonen. But there are things they don't tell you about in Orientation. Things that they themselves don't know. Things that can drive you insane. Things that can even kill you....
1. Release

After so many silly fics that are written in notebooks somewhere in my room and will be typed and posted later, I finally feel like my old self, and ready to write something sad. Hopefully, no one's going to be seriously disappointed. Not that there's anyone out there to be disappointed.  
  
Now that that's out of my system, this particular fic is inspired by Songwind's 'Bishonen and Bishojo!' fic. It's hilariously funny, and you should really read it. All 42 chapters. The only character in this entire damn thing I own is Donn. Steal her, and I'll use your guts for garters. Steal anyone else, and deal with the people who own him or her. I really don't give a damn.  
  
~*~*~*~  
  
Carol hoisted her son a little higher on her hip, wiping sweat from her forehead. She cast a glance laden with worry over her shoulder at her new trainer. The tall, longhaired Bishonen named Nuriko was still carrying the poor girl, who, in turn, was still passed out.  
And Carol completely and totally understood how the frail human girl must feel, considering everything bad that had happened lately. Even well into Sama level, Carol herself felt ready to crack.  
"Mama?" The Chibi Bikky in her weary arms asked, his young voice full of concern. "Mama, are you okay? You look sleepy."  
"I am sleepy, Bik-chan." Carol replied, laughing. "I'll see about resting a while sometime soon, okay?"  
"Kay, Mama." Bikky said, burying his head in her shoulder and hair again.  
"Hey, Nuriko-san, I think we should stop now." Carol said, leaning heavily against a handy tree nearby. "I'm not sure about the others, but I know for a fact I won't last much longer."  
"I suppose we should." Nuriko conceded, looking through the trees lining the road for a good campsite. "I think I hear running water nearby." He continued. "Would you and the others mind setting up camp while I go and give Miss Donn a good bath?"  
"Of course not." Carol replied, putting Bikky down. "Bik-chan, dearheart, do Mama a favor and go tell the others we're stopping, will you?"  
"Sure thing, Mama!" Bikky said happily, trotting off to find Donn's other Bishies, who had ranged out in a protective circle around their trainer.  
Nuriko and his burden disappeared through the trees off to the left, and Carol began gathering wood for a fire and reviewing their limited options for that night's dinner.  
  
Kurama was the first to appear once Carol had managed to get a fairly large blaze going.  
"Has she improved at all?" The redheaded fox demon asked quietly, dropping cross-legged to the ground on Carol's right.  
"No." The Bishojo replied, just as quietly.  
"And neither have you." Sango said, taking the space to the left of Carol. "Don't try to keep it all inside, honey. We all know you're in pain, and it hurts us to see you bottling it up like this; cry, just once. See if it helps."  
Carol glanced from one to the other of her best friends, and felt all of the walls she'd so carefully built over the past week crumble.  
"Sango, Kurama, what am I going to do?" She demanded tearfully, burying her face in her hands. "I can't do this! If it weren't for Bik- chan, I would have followed Bikky into death and beyond if I had to, to be with him! And how am I supposed to raise my child without a father? I can't bring him up alone! I don't even know how much longer I can stand to look at my own son before it drives me insane, because every single time I look, I see Bikky instead of Bik-chan! God, I just can't take it!" She continued to sob hysterically, Sango and Kurama comforting her wordlessly.  
  
Carol finally cried herself to sleep on Kurama's shoulder nearly an hour later. He and Sango gently placed the exhausted woman in her sleeping bag, just as the others- Nuriko and Donn included- converged on the forest clearing.  
Chibi Bikky went immediately to his mother, pausing only long enough to remove his skates and hat before climbing into the sleeping bag and promptly falling asleep.  
"So she finally let herself mourn, de gozaru yo." Kenshin said, smiling sadly at the sleeping mother and son.  
"Yeah." Usagi said, setting Bikky's skates and hat next to the fire, where he could easily spot them in the morning. "Her pain is much less now, though I'm still lost as to how she can bear it."  
"Who knows?" Nuriko shrugged. "Maybe it's the fact that she has to be strong, for her child."  
"I think that Bik-chan is the only thing tying Carol down right now." Sango said slowly, hesitant to bring up the idea she and Kurama had been discussing lately. "I. . .I think we should release her of that tie."  
"I agree." Heero seconded from the other side of the campfire, closing his laptop. "When we have sufficient funds and equipment to deal with the relapse of loosing one of the team, we will broach the subject to Carol herself. Daughter, you and Kenshin will have first watch tonight. Wake Kurama and myself at oh-one hundred hours. Everyone else, get some sleep. We move out early tomorrow." Then, following an old saying, he practiced what he preached and climbed into his sleeping bag.  
  
~*~Two Days Later~*~  
  
"Wow! I've never seen a Daughter fight like that!" The breathless trainer exclaimed, watching with open admiration in his eyes as Usagi cleaned and bandaged Daughters wounds. "I must say, I'm deeply impressed!" He continued, turning to Carol, who sat with Kenshin, shielding Bikky from sight. "Are you her trainer?"  
"No." Heero said without looking up from his laptop when Carol hesitated. "Carol-sama is a Bishojo. Our trainer is incapacitated at the moment."  
"What's that supposed to mean?" The trainer questioned.  
"Unable to comply." Heero stated firmly. "Information is classified and inaccessible."  
"Whatever." The blonde boy shrugged and dug into his pocket. "Here're your winnings." He turned, waving over his shoulder. "Give your trainer my compliments!" Then he was gone, his newly healed Skuld trudging along behind him.  
"Did I get us enough?" Daughter asked hopefully, wincing as Chibi Bikky pulled one of her wings and giggled.  
"More than enough, D-chan." Alfeegi assured the buxom angel girl with a slight smile. "Perhaps Sango and Kurama should entertain the child while our champion rests." He suggested as Bik-chan started in on Daughter's ears.  
"Sounds good to me." Sango said, stealing Bikky's hat and running off with it.  
"Hey! My hat!" Bikky yelled, running after Sango. "Gimme, Auntie San! Gimme!" Kurama followed the pair, catching Carol's small smile as he left the clearing.  
"Carol." Heero said after a moment. "We have something to discuss with you."  
"What is it?" Carol asked nervously, looking around the ring of Bishies.  
"You wish for death." Alfeegi said quietly. "I have known this feeling many times myself, and I can recognize it in the eyes of another."  
"But-" Carol started, only to be interrupted by Usagi.  
"But you don't want Bikky to grow up parentless." The blonde said, her brilliant blue eyes unusually somber.  
"Carol-sama, we believe we can help you." Nuriko said. "Sango and Kurama have agreed to adopt Bikky, if you want them to."  
"And?" Carol prompted after a long and awkward silence.  
"And I will free you." Came a soft voice, harsh with grief and disuse, from Nuriko's lap, silencing the entire group.  
"D-Donn?" Daughter asked shakily, breaking out of her shocked trance first. "You're awake!"  
"And you're hurt..." Donn murmured, her usually sparkling hazel eyes a dull gray-brown as they took in the bandages on Daughter's arms, leg, and torso.  
"Yes."  
"Donn..." Carol whispered quietly. She pushed herself to her feet, stumbling across the grass and into her trainer's weak but open arms. "I have to go to him, Donn! I can't live without him! I'm going insane!"  
"I know, baby, I know." Donn soothed, gently rubbing Carol's back. "I will free you, and you will be able to go to him, I promise."  
"Thank you." Carol managed weakly between sobs. "Thank you so much, Donn."  
  
~*~Later That Night~*~  
  
"Are you ready, Carol?" Donn asked, her voice still so weak it was barely audible.  
"I have been for some time." Carol answered, her voice heavy with anticipation as she turned to face her friends. "The question is, is Heero ready?"  
"I accepted this mission." Heero stated matter-of-factly, pulling out his gun. "I *will* carry it out."  
"Good." Carol whispered.  
Donn, her hands shaking, picked up Carol's empty bish-ball and smashed it.  
"Do it, Heero." Carol ordered as Donn's presence left the back of her mind. "Before you change your mind."  
To keep from waking Bikky, a silencer had been added to the end of the gun; thus, only a loud click signaled the bullet being fired, and a wet thud when the small piece of rounded metal found its mark in Carol's chest.  
As she fell to her knees, blood welling up at the corners of her mouth, Carol smiled in pure and genuine joy.  
"I'm coming, Bikky." She whispered, falling slowly forward. "I'm finally coming..."  
Heero let his gun fall from numb fingers as her turned his tear- streaked face to the jewel-bedecked sky.  
"Mission... accomplished." He whispered hoarsely, closing his eyes as a single bright star streaked across the horizon.  
  
~*~*~*~  
  
Didn't I tell you that I'm back to being a bitch? If you don't like it, don't read this. It's that simple. To those that haven't blown up their computers, review and tell me what you think. I thrive on flames. Feed me! Next chapter will be up just as soon as I write it. 


	2. Chance Meeting

Back again with chapter two. I really don't like the title I picked for this story, so I'd appreciate suggestions on a better one. Anya is property of Songwind. Steal her, and what Songwind doesn't do to you, I will. I don't like people stealing from my friends. I think that's everything for now. Review, people, so I know where you want this thing to go.  
  
To Lady Demoonica Darkmoon: Thanks a lot for reviewing, and for the compliment. Most of my works- the originals that I don't let other people read- are about things we'd all rather not face. Humanity has a dark side, and I think that dark side is reflected in the Bishie World. And any other world we create, for that matter. We cannot escape what we are. There will be shadow as long as there is light, and we cannot ignore that shadow any more than we can the light.  
  
To Songwind: That's actually a nice long review you left for me, that it is! You're right; the cold hard truth can hurt sometimes, but it could be just what we need. And good reviews, like the glowing one you left me, feed me too. They just don't taste as good as flames. More energy, not enough salt, ya know?  
  
~*~*~*~  
  
"My feet hurt." Anya complained, easing her shoes off.  
"They smell, too." Anya's Sanosuke added, plugging his nose and moving away from his trainer.  
"Shut up, Sano." Anya growled, throwing her shoe at him.  
"Hey, that hurt, Missy!"  
"Really? I'm surprised you felt it through that incredibly thick skull of yours."  
"Now, now, you two. No fighting, no da." Chichiri warned from near the fire, where he and Heero were setting out the sleeping bags.  
"Whatever, 'Chiri." Anya muttered, lobbing her other shoe in Sano's general direction.  
"Watch it, Missy!"  
"Stuff it, Sano."  
"Ouch!"  
Anya's shoe had missed its mark, sailing into the bushes behind Sanosuke and hitting something there.  
"Who's there? Show yourselves, de gozaru yo!" Kenshin ordered, drawing and inch or two of his sword.  
"Don't attack." A voice said, much softer than the exclamation of pain.  
A few seconds and a lot of rustling later, a Usagi and an Alfeegi emerged from the woods, the Usagi rubbing the side of her head and carrying Anya's shoe in one hand.  
"Owie..." The Usagi complained, putting the shoe down next to its partner. "That hurt..."  
"You've been through worse, Usagi." The Alfeegi said, patting her on the shoulder. "You'll survive."  
"Who are you two?" Heero asked, standing and drawing his gun. "Identify yourselves."  
"I...dentify..." Usagi repeated slowly, pausing thoughtfully before whispering loud enough for everyone to hear, "Alfeegi, what's 'identify' mean?"  
Anya and her Bishies promptly fell over.  
"Ignore her." The Alfeegi advised, sweatdropping. "My name is Alfeegi. This is Usagi. We are here on behalf of our trainer, Donn." Alfeegi turned and made a very courtly and proper bow in Anya's direction. "Would my lady be averse to joining our trainer at her current location? I am afraid that she is unable to move very much at the moment."  
"Please?" Usagi added, peeking over Alfeegi's shoulder.  
"I...don't see why not..." Anya agreed hesitantly. "Can Sano come with?"  
"We would not ask you to come completely alone and unguarded." Alfeegi said smoothly. "You may bring as many of your companions as you wish."  
"Can I come, Annie-dono?" Kenshin asked, raising his hand just as Usagi poked his scar. "What are you doing, de gozaru yo?"  
"Poking your scar." Usagi said. "Obviously. How'd you get it? I've got one on my leg from where some idiot of an Alfeegi pushed me out of a tree."  
"I did not push you, Usagi. You lost your balance. Accept the fact that you're a klutz and get over it."  
"I'm remarkably graceful for one of my kind." Usagi stated defensively, sticking her tongue out at Alfeegi.  
"Which means you can only fall down stairs, not up them." The Dragon Knights Bishonen responded without twitching an eye.  
"Alfeegi, you baka!" Usagi yelled, pulling a frying pan out of nowhere and whacking her fellow Bishie with it.  
Now Alfeegi's eye started twitching violently, and a frustration mark appeared on the bump growing out of his noggin. "Tsukino Usagi, if you do not return that piece of cookware to its rightful place and cease acting like a petulant child, you will have to watch Bikky tonight." He warned quietly.  
"You wouldn't!" Usagi gasped, but the frying pan disappeared almost immediately. "Fine. I'll be good for now."  
"I suppose that will have to do." Alfeegi sighed. "So are you coming?"  
"Sure." Anya responded, grabbing her shoes. "I don't suppose you'd carry me, would you?" She asked forlornly, pouting at Sano.  
"Hell no, Missy." Sano replied. "I told you, I'm never carrying your fat ass again."  
"Our campsite isn't far." Usagi said encouragingly, pointing off in the woods. "In fact, they probably could hear us if we shouted really loud."  
"Quite likely." Alfeegi agreed, starting back through the underbrush. "But we mustn't keep Lady Donn waiting. Bikky, will you go warn the others?"  
A tiny Bishonen dropped out of a large tree, pouting at Alfeegi. "How'd ya know I was up there, Unc?" The Chibi asked. He had semi-wavy dark blonde hair and big blue eyes, and had somehow managed to climb a tree in roller skates.  
"I always know where you are, Bikky." Alfeegi said sagely. "You should keep that in mind next time you feel the urge to dump ice cubes down my shirt."  
"You're no fun." Bikky stated, standing and brushing twigs off his clothes. "C'mon, Aunt Usagi! I'll race ya back to camp!"  
"Loser has to do dishes all day tomorrow!" Usagi yelled, taking off with the Chibi a few feet ahead of her.  
"Children." Alfeegi muttered, shaking his head. "And you needn't worry about Bikky being captured illegally. Consent was given by both of his parents. Our Heero will testify to that."  
"Oh, great." Sano muttered. "Another Spandex Boy."  
"You say something?" Heero asked pointedly, raising one eyebrow at Sanosuke.  
"Me?" Sano asked innocently. "Nah."  
  
Anya and her Bishies were indeed camped within shouting distance of their destination. After walking for only a minute or two, the group arrived at a cheerfully glowing bonfire surrounded by various Bishies. The Usagi and Chibi Bikky were off to one side, Usagi panting heavily and Bikky muttering words Anya was almost certain he shouldn't know.  
"I take it Usagi won, then?" Alfeegi asked, smiling at the two.  
"Yeah." Bikky muttered. "I've got no idea where the heifer's second wind came from, though. It was unreal."  
Usagi's frying pan came out again, this time to land repeatedly on Bikky's head. "I dare you to call me that again, you Chibi-baka! Say you're sorry!"  
"Alright! I'm sorry! Now stop hitting me!"  
Across the fire from the arguing Bishies was an exceptionally beautiful Nuriko with a dark cloth bundle on his lap, which sat up and because a human girl when Anya entered the circle of flickering light.  
"You found another trainer?" The girl asked in a quiet, rasping voice that sounded like it belonged to someone who'd been crying a lot recently.  
"Yeah." Usagi gasped out, flopping onto her side. "Somebody feed me."  
"Hello." The trainer said, turning to Anya and sitting up a little straighter in her Nuriko's lap. "My name is Donn. Forgive me if I don't rise to greet you. I'm not feeling very well tonight."  
"That's okay." Anya said, walking around the fire to Donn. "My name's Anya. Your Alfeegi said... Well, your Alfeegi said a lot of stuff, most of it very confusing."  
"Everything's confusing to you." Sanosuke muttered, getting an acorn in the back of the head, courtesy of one Chibi Bikky.  
"Don't talk to your trainer that way, Bird Head!" Bikky shouted, making a certain obscene gesture popular in America with both hands just as a frying pan connected with the back of his head again.  
"What did you call me, you blonde shrimp?" Sano demanded, advancing on the Chibi.  
"Don't let a child get your feathers ruffled, no da." Chichiri warned with a small smile.  
"Watch who you're calling a kid, ya blue-haired freak!"  
"Bikky!" Donn said sharply, her voice still barely above a whisper. "Be kind to our guests, or you will do dishes all week, instead of just tomorrow."  
"Aw, you're no fun." Bikky muttered.  
"Come here, Bik-chan." Donn said, smiling and patting her lap. The Chibi immediately brightened up, trotting over to his trainer and snuggling down in her lap. "Now, Anya. Please, pull up a log and make yourself comfortable. I have not encountered another human since I woke, and I fear that I have a need for contact with my own kind. Would you be kind enough to share my fireside?"  
  
~*~*~*~  
  
And there. Chapter two, completed. More reviews, if you don't mind. I'd kind of like to know if anyone's actually reading this thing. Cause if no one is, I see no reason to continue writing it.  
  
Also, if they don't mind being in a fairly dark fic, I'd be happy to add characters by reviewers, because I'm not in such a bitchy mood right now, and probably won't be for the next few days. Beyond that, there are no guarantees. 


	3. Banding Together

Voila. Chapter Three. I hope my two fans enjoy it. I sure enjoyed writing it. You may have noticed, if you're reading more than just this one story of mine, that updates here are coming along rather quickly. That's because of something I like to call inspirational bonks on the head. When one collides with my skull, it's for one specific story, not just mass inspiration. I need a freakin muse. Anyone know where I can get one?  
  
To Lady Demoonica Darkmoon- Thanks a lot for giving me permission to use your character. If I can fit you into the story map, I'll do so. For right now, it's just going to be Donn, Anya, and their Bishies. I hope you don't mind very much.  
  
To Songwind- Bad girl! Do what you're supposed to be doing! Heehee. Just kidding; I'll leave that stuff to your parents. Yes, I planned on making Anya a main character. If you'd rather she wasn't, that won't be hard to change. Also, I'm pretty good at reading between the lines, so I already knew Anya and Sano were an item. I can tell these things. You know, emotions an stuff. There will be much mushy-ness later, as well as between Donn and one of her Bishies. Guess which one.  
  
To Merina- ....... Thanks for reviewing? Everything I would say here is in the e-mail I sent you, so I guess that's it. Thanks again.  
  
As long as not too many people review for this story, I'll be answering you all individually, because I have no life beyond my computer, and I can type really, really fast without making a lot of mistakes.  
  
~*~*~*~  
  
"Would you be kind enough to share my fireside?"  
"Sure." Anya said, looking around for an empty log or rock to sit on. The Sango sitting next to Nuriko hopped off her perch and sat down again on –of all things- a nearby Kurama's lap.  
"Then by all means, make yourselves at home." Donn said, gesturing at the now-empty expanse of log.  
"Donn." Bikky whispered, tugging at his trainer's shirt. "I'm hungry."  
"Yeah! Me too!" Usagi called, waving her hand in the air without sitting up.  
"Sango, feed the children, would you?" Alfeegi asked politely, tossing more wood on the fire.  
"Why me?" Sango whined, standing up and receiving a smart swat to the behind from Kurama.  
"Because you make a damn fine meal, woman." The fox demon said, standing as well. "I'll help, and Usagi can do the dishes."  
"Hey! Bik-chan's supposed to do the dishes!"  
"Not till tomorrow, de gozaru yo." Kenshin pointed out before going back to comparing his blade to that of Anya's Kenshin.  
"No getting around it, Usagi." Donn's Heero said with a slight smile. "You have dish duty tonight."  
"You're all unfair." Usagi stated, pouting.  
"So let them cook so we can eat!" Bikky yelled, hopping off Donn's lap and tackling Usagi.  
"Here we go again." Alfeegi muttered, guiding Chichiri to an empty seat. "Please don't mind them."  
Donn giggled at her Bishies' antics, then suddenly lapsed into a fit of body-wracking coughs.  
Bikky and Usagi immediately ceased wrestling and scrambled over to their trainer.  
"Are you alright?" Nuriko asked worriedly.  
"I'm fine, I'm fine." Donn assured them, turning to Anya. "I'm terribly sorry, but I've been unwell for some time now. It's not catching, so you don't have to worry." Donn cleared her throat before continuing. "Do you happen to have a map? We seem to have lost ours, and can't find a town anymore."  
"That's Donn for you." Sango sighed from the fire, where she was busy flipping steaks. "Short, sweet, and to the point."  
"Much like you, dear." Kurama said, earning a spatula to the face for his comment.  
"Ack! Don't kill 'im, Sango-mama! He owes me money!" Bikky shouted, running to his adoptive father's defense.  
"Is that all I'm good for?" Kurama asked, grabbing Bikky from behind and tickling him. "Is that all I'm good for?"  
"Not so close to the fire, Kurama!" Sango exclaimed, shooing the Bishonen towards Usagi. "Have your fun somewhere safe!"  
"What a fun group, no da." Chichiri said, his smile reaching all the way to his good eye.  
"Hey, Donn, can I have a soda?" Daughter asked, waving a can of the aforementioned beverage in the air.  
"Go ahead, D-chan." Donn said, smiling again. "Now back to the map. Where's the nearest city, and which way is it? We've got lots of cash, but no place to spend it."  
"Dammit, Kurama, if you don't stop that this instant, you won't be able to hear for a week!" Sango shouted suddenly, glaring angrily at Kurama, who guiltily lowered an upside-down Bikky to the ground.  
"We were just playin, Sango-mama." Bikky explained, smiling widely. "Kurama-papa wouldn't really throw me into the river."  
Sango growled in frustration, turning back to dinner. "Men and children." She muttered, checking the rice and slamming the lid back on the pot. "Each no more mature than the other, and about equal in the smarts department, too."  
  
Some sixty minutes full of Sango- initiated complaints and chibi- rants later, a hearty dinner of rice, vegetables, and steaks was done.  
"Everybody wash your hands." Sango instructed. "You, too." She ordered, pushing Sano towards the river when he failed to move.  
"Hey! Watch it, lady!"  
"Wash 'em!" Sango countered, giving Sano one last shove towards the cold water. "Or no dinner for you!"  
"Sango..." Donn groaned, rubbing her forehead. "I'm terribly sorry, Sanosuke." The tiny trainer apologized, smiling a little. "My Sango's one of the worst mother hens on the planet. She even treats me like that, sometimes. I suppose we just got used to it."  
"He can do with some yelling at." Anya disagreed, dismissing the apology with a wave of her fork. "And since we're headed to the nearest town ourselves, you can just travel with us. And if you don't mind my saying so, you sure have some strange Bishies."  
"I chose them that way." Donn said mysteriously, smiling. "My Nuriko is exceptionally beautiful, my Usagi is unusually graceful, my Alfeegi is remarkably loose, my Heero is outstandingly friendly, and so on and so forth. It makes life interesting." The trainers both winced as a loud crash sounded off in the woods.  
"Bad Bikky!" They heard Sango yell as another crash sounded, accompanied by excessive splashing. "Just wait till I get my hands on you, Kurama-no-baka!"  
"Not to mention loud. Nuriko, would you mind seeing what Bik-chan did this time?" Donn asked of the Fushigi Yuugi Bishonen as she polished off her stir-fry.  
"Not at all." Nuriko said, smiling. "The child is a genius when it comes to getting himself into trouble. It's actually quite entertaining."  
Donn shook her head and smiled again before launching into another coughing fit.  
"Hey, you okay?" Anya asked, patting Donn's frail back.  
"I'm... I'm fine...." Donn assured weakly, just before her eyes rolled back in her head and she fainted.  
"Hey. Hey!" Anya exclaimed, catching the minute teen. "Aw, shit. Heero!" She exclaimed, turning sharply to where the twin Gundam Wing Bishies were involved in a war game tournament.  
Both looked up, and the one wearing jeans- Donn's Heero- dropped his laptop and ran to his trainer's side. He checked her pulse and breathing without panicking, then pulled a pill bottle out of his jacket pocket. "She's all right." He said, forcing one of the pills down Donn's throat. "She should know by now not to let Nuriko out of her sight." The brunette stud stood and turned towards the splashing and yelling. "I'll be right back."  
  
~*~The Next Day~*~  
  
"Are you sure you're all right?" Anya asked Donn for perhaps the fifth time that morning.  
"Yes." Donn replied, still patient. She was once again bundled in Nuriko's arms. Still too weak to walk on her own, she'd consented to being wrapped in a light jacket as well, although she'd drawn the line at the blanket her Bishies had wanted her to wear.  
"Bikky, I'm not playing! Come out here this instant, or you'll have two days of dish duty instead of one!" Sango yelled.  
"I'm surprised she ain't hoarse, considering all the yelling she's done lately." Sano remarked, yawning.  
"She's had practice." Kurama said with an uncertain smile. "Trust me; she's had practice."  
"She released you and caught you again?" Usagi demanded of Chichiri, fascinated by the blue-haired monk's story.  
"Hai, no da." Chichiri replied. "Anya is a good trainer. She takes very good care of us, no da."  
"Donn's like that, too." Usagi said, smiling happily. "She lets me and Bikky play around all we want, and even though she don't feel very good most of the time, she doesn't demand much of us."  
"Stay up all night memorizing that word, Usagi?" Alfeegi asked, raising one eyebrow at the blonde Bishojo.  
"Alfeegi!" Usagi wailed, looking ready to throw a fit until Bikky jumped on her from behind.  
"Heya, Blue-Haired Freak, Bird Head." The Chibi said by way of greeting to Chichiri and Sanosuke.  
"Bik-chan, be nice." Kurama said quietly as the chattering group of Bishies and their trainers set off down the road into the rising sun.  
  
~*~*~*~ And thus ends yet another chapter. My inspirational bonk on the head is starting to wear off. If more people review, maybe it'll come back. Who knows?  
  
There's not really much I can say here, except that there's a new character coming up next chapter, as well as a few major surprises concerning Donn and a few of her Bishies.  
  
Hey, that was kind of fun. I think I'll start doing previews for the next chapter. How does that sound?  
  
I know this chapter was short compared to the others, but I like them short. For some reason, I can't write long chapters, and I usually hate reading them. So most of what I write will be relatively short. Not everyone can sit in the same chair and read the same story for eight hours straight, after all.  
  
Until next time, minna. 


	4. Secrets

I'm back! Quake in f34r, mortals! Just kidding. Like I can really make anyone quake in f34r. Or even fear, for that matter. I suck.  
  
Merina in property of Merina, and she's got a Folken! FOLKEN-SAMA! *glomps* So no stealing.  
  
To Merina- Glad to please. This is a great story to write, and trying to figure out how characters from different series will interact only makes it that much more interesting.  
  
To Songwind- Heehee. Amazed and flattered. Warm and fuzzy. Not what I want people to feel reading this story. Shocked and horrified, yes. Warm and fuzzy, no. But if that's how you feel, that's how you feel. Nothing I can do about it.  
  
~*~*~*~  
  
Donn sighed deeply, casting a longing glance at Usagi, Bik-chan, and Chichiri, who were playing a lively game of Taunt-the-Sano.  
"Something wrong?" Nuriko asked pleasantly, smiling down at his trainer.  
"I want to be young again." Donn whispered, smiling as Usagi finally shouted 'Bird-brained Bird Head' one too many times and took off with a shriek, Sano a mere step behind her. "I want to be able to run and play carelessly, like I did when I first got here. But I suppose that's impossible, ne?"  
"You'll walk again soon, Donn. Then you'll run, then you'll play, and time will make you carefree again." Nuriko stated soothingly, watching with open amusement as Sano tackled Usagi, and was promptly whacked upside the head with a giant boomerang. "You'll join them in their games in time."  
"Ko-chan," Donn said suddenly, wrapping her thin arms around her equally thin waist, "I think Heero knows."  
There was a moment of stunned silence, then, "He would, wouldn't he? Do you want to tell the others?"  
"Not yet." Donn said decisively. "Soon, but not yet."  
"I'm sure they'll understand."  
"I hope so."  
  
"There's someone up ahead." Wufei said, looking ahead to where the road curved behind the trees.  
"You sure?" Wufei's trainer asked, playing with her long red ponytail.  
"Positive." The Chinese pilot asserted, just as two tiny figures appeared down the road. The taller of the two tackled the other, only to be knocked away by something large, dark, and flying.  
"Maybe it's a battle." Merina said, tossing her hair back over her shoulder.  
"... I don't think so." Sesshomaru said after a moment, as another, tinier figure came into view, jumping wildly.  
"Shall we go investigate?" Folken (A/N- *glomps*) asked.  
"Don't see why not." Merina agreed, shrugging. "It's not like we've got anything better to do."  
With that, the entire group set off down the road towards the figures in the distance.  
  
"Donn!" Bikky shouted, waving his arms wildly as he ran to where Nuriko, Donn, and Anya were resting. "Donn, there's a whole bunch of Bishies coming down the road, and I think there's a trainer with them!"  
"Thank you for telling me, Bik-chan." Donn said calmly, handing the Chibi a can of soda. "Shall we go meet them?"  
"Sure!" Anya said brightly, a little hyper from the amount of candy Bikky and Usagi had fed her.  
"Nuriko, if you don't mind." Donn stated politely.  
"Not at all." In one fluid, practiced motion, Donn was in her Bishie's arms and headed towards the rapidly growing group on the road.  
"Hey!" The first of the group, a pale girl with long red hair that Donn assumed was a trainer, shouted, waving enthusiastically. "Hey up there!"  
"Hey yourself!" Anya shouted back, waving both her arms vigorously in response.  
"Wow! That guy's boots rock!" Usagi exclaimed suddenly, breaking ranks to introduce herself to a tall Bishie with black and white hair and a rock concert worthy outfit.  
"She would notice his shoes." Donn's Heero muttered, going back to his laptop. "Her tiny world revolves around shoes and hair."  
By that time, the redhead had made it to the group, though the others were still about a dozen feet away.  
"Heyas! My name's Merina!" She exclaimed happily. "Boy, am I glad to see you! Can you believe my idiot of a Sesshomaru lost our map?"  
"You too?" Anya asked with a put-upon sigh. "Am I the only trainer in these parts that didn't loose her map or something?"  
"She has a Folken." Donn stated quietly, staring at aforementioned Bishonen with clear longing in her huge eyes. "I've always wanted to hug a Folken."  
"Back off!" Merina yelled, jumping to interpose herself between Donn and the precious Folken.  
"No offense was meant, Miss Merina." Nuriko said. "My trainer was simply admiring your Bishonen. I assure you, she is no danger to him."  
"And how can I be sure of that?"  
"I give you my word, if the fact that Lady Donn is unable to stand under her own power is not persuasion enough." Alfeegi said testily, moving to defend his trainer.  
"Aw, you can't stand up on your own? I had no idea. I feel bad for ya." Merina said, smiling nervously at the Bishies ranged behind Nuriko and Donn. Then suddenly, "Oh my god, is that a Chibi?!"  
"Argh!" Bikky screamed upon discovery and promptly dashed for cover behind Sango and Kurama. "Keep that crazy chick away from me!" The tiny blonde yelled, peeking around his adoptive parents.  
"Bikky!" Sango admonished, glaring over her shoulder at him. "Be nice! I don't know what that husband of mine has been teaching you, but I know for a fact I taught you better manners than that!"  
"So now suddenly it's my fault he's got bad manners?" Kurama demanded indignantly.  
"Yes!" Sango and Bikky exclaimed in unison.  
"Heero, I think I'm getting a migraine." Donn said weakly, rubbing her temples. "Would you happen to have some painkillers in that spandex space pocket of yours?"  
Her Heero made a rude face and corresponding comment as he dug into his backpack and pulled out a bottle of aspirin. "Here." He said shortly, forking over his water bottle as well. "Spandex space pocket, my ass." He muttered.  
"And a fine ass it is." Donn countered, tossing two pills in her mouth and swallowing quickly. "Thank you."  
  
"... so I've come to the forgone conclusion that we should travel with you!" Merina finished with a flourish, downing another can of soda. "And don't you think it's about time Folken gave you back to your Nuriko?" The redhead added, glaring at Donn.  
"Must I?" Donn asked, sighing heavily. "Oh, well. Nuriko, come get me before our new friend looses it on my poor defenseless rear."  
"Nah, she goes for the head." Haru, the rock star wannabe, said, ducking as his trainer proceeded to demonstrate just that.  
Donn, meanwhile, was picked up and transported back to Nuriko's spot across the clearing. The tiny girl glanced meaningfully at the Fushigi Yuugi Bishonen, turning to gaze at her scattered Bishies.  
"Now?" Nuriko asked softly, his voice touched with light anxiety.  
"Now." Donn repeated forcefully. "Can you get their attention?"  
"Of course." Nuriko cleared his throat. "Can we have everyone's attention over here, please?" He questioned loudly, waving his free hand for emphasis.  
Usagi, Bikky, Sano, and Wufei immediately stopped their game of Tease- the-Heeros, much to the relief of two nearly identical brunette Bishonen, who in turn looked up from their laptops. Merina stopped chasing Haru, who peeked out of the tree he'd taken refuge in. Sesshomaru and Folken looked up reluctantly from their chess game (Folken was teaching Sesshi-chan).  
"Yes, Nuriko?" Sango asked, casually saving Daughter from becoming a black blob with wings and keeping Kurama out of dessert at the same time.  
"Ko-chan and I have something we'd like to tell you all." Donn said quietly.  
"Ko-chan?" Anya asked, a sneaking suspicion forming in the back of her mind. "That gives me a semi-strange idea..."  
"Semi-strange about sums it up." Donn's Heero muttered, taking off his jacket and throwing it at Wufei because throwing his laptop or gun would just be stupid. "And you can can it, Justice Boy."  
"What did you call me?" Wufei demanded indignantly, reaching for his katana.  
"Please." Somehow, Donn's whisper cut through the brewing fight. "I must ask that you save your squabbles until a later time."  
"Like Donn just said, she and I have an announcement to make."  
"Actually, Ko-chan, I said we had something we would like to tell them." Donn giggled softly before sobering up again. "But that's beside the point." She paused again, looking uncertainly at her new friends. Anya would probably understand, if Donn was reading her right. Merina, however, might not. And that posed a problem. But she hadn't come this far to give up because of a few doubts. "I... I'm pregnant." Of all the Bishies and trainers around the fire, only the Heeros did not fall over, faint, or nearly loose their eyeballs. "But..." Sango said, confused. "If you're... then you must have... who... oh!" The InuYasha Bishojo's eyes widen even more as understanding dawned on her. "Then..." "I'm the father." Nuriko affirmed with a soft smile.  
  
~*~*~*~  
  
How's that for a cliffie? I think I should have ended it when she said she was pregnant, but oh well. I think I'll just leave it as is for now.  
  
Remember, people. Your reviews sustain the story and me. If you don't wan us both to shrivel up and die, please review.  
  
Next Chapter~ More shocking secrets about Donn's past, both in the Bishie World and on Earth, are revealed as relationships come into the open, Bikky becomes the target of a rogue trainer, and the group crosses paths with an unknown and dangerous force after Donn's unborn child. 


	5. Seperation

And again, I am back to torment. I am inescapable! *squeaky voice* Fear me!  
  
Okay, seriously. Time for my infamous personalized replies to my loyal fans!  
  
To BlackyGirl- Okay, don't flame me. Just put some extra salt on the compliments, okay?  
  
To Saisaishi: The Hee-chans are still sane (if they ever were) because one wears spandex, is withdrawn, and has normal Heero-hair- Anya's. The other, Donn's, wears jeans and a jacket, is semi-friendly, and has lighter hair. Thanks for the compliment about the suspense, although I have absolutely no idea what you're talking about. *scratches head in blondish confusion*  
  
To Songwind- I liked that line too. It's the perfect comeback, and I've never been able to use it in real life. Also, I was joking about the warm and fuzzy part. I've come out of my pessimistic slump (don't expect a happy story, though) and have vowed to be more positive. Thanks for caring enough to mention how I was downtalking myself, though.  
  
To Merina- Heehee. The picture of him you directed me to made him look slightly apathetic. And he has been lazy. The only time he moved was when you started beating him about the head and shoulders. And a lazy dude dressed like him? How could my twisted brain not come up with 'wannabe rocker'? Also, I promise I won't glomp Folken-sama for this entire chapter, so he'll be safe.  
  
For now, anyway.  
  
~*~*~*~  
  
Silence reigned for about five seconds before every female in the group converged on the couple, offering congratulations, expressing surprise, or just plain squealing like... well, like a squealing woman, I guess.  
  
"Wow, Donn!" Usagi exclaimed, giving her trainer a tight hug. "I never would have guessed! You're still so thin!"  
  
"How far along are you, anyway?" Sango asked, snagging the back of Bikky's overalls with one foot before he could fall flat on his face. "Carol was showing big-time at three months, and you look like you haven't eaten in weeks!"  
  
"Six months." Donn's Heero stated calmly from the edge of the chaos.  
  
"So you did know!" Nuriko exclaimed, glaring at Heero. "Why not tell us?"  
  
"Because there was no need to."  
  
"Heeros." Donn muttered, rolling her eyes. "Hey, Sango, is dinner ready? I'm starving."  
  
"Excuse me!" Alfeegi yelled. "Food for the pregnant lady, coming through! Everybody outta my way!" The Dragon Knights Bishie pushed through to Donn and handed her a plate, then cleared his throat again. "And while we're on the subject of announcements, I've got one too."  
  
"Alfeegi, you're pregnant?" Bikky demanded, an expression of mock- disbelief covering his face.  
  
"Shut up, you little blond shrimp!" Alfeegi yelled, pulling his sword out of nowhere and raising it above his head threateningly. Next thing he knew, his hands hurt, his sword was embedded in a tree across the clearing, and Sango's giant boomerang was returning to her upraised hand.  
  
"Never threaten my kid, Alfeegi." Sango warned. "Or I will kill you."  
  
"Youch, no da!" Chichiri exclaimed, staring at Sango. "You hit me with that giant piece of wood, no da!"  
  
"Sorry, Chichiri." Sango said distractedly. "So what announcement do you have for us, Alfeegi?"  
  
"We're getting married!" Daughter exclaimed, jumping on Alfeegi's back and giggling. "Alfee-chan proposed to me yesterday!"  
  
"Jesus Christ." Sano muttered, looking slightly nauseated. "All this syrupy lovey-dovey shit's gonna make me puke."  
  
"Shut up." Anya said, throwing her shoe at her Bishie.  
  
"Woman, will you please stop throwing your friggin shoes at me?" Sano yelled, gently massaging the back of his head. "That friggin hurt!"  
  
~*~Somewhere Close By~*~  
  
"That's her?" One of the shadowy figures questioned in a hollow alto that could have belonged to a man or a woman.  
  
"Yes." Another shadow responded, further from the light. "She is said to have an orphaned Chibi Bikky with her. We do not know if the Chibi belongs to her, or if it simply follows."  
  
"And you came back here instead of taking him, why?" The first shadow demanded threateningly.  
  
"Because the Sango and Kurama seem to be parental figures, and the Bikky is only left unguarded early in the morning. We will secure it for you then."  
  
"Glad to see you're finally thinking for yourself, Dilandilou. Now I don't have to lead you around like a little child."  
  
"I'm glad you are pleased." Dilandilou said with only the barest undertone of sarcasm. "I will leave now to begin preparations."  
  
"Do that."  
  
~*~The Next Morning~*~  
  
"Sango-mama, I'm hungry." Bikky complained, yawning hugely. "And tired. Can I go back to bed? Pretty please?"  
  
"No, Bikky." Sango replied absently, rubbing one eye. "We're all tired, but we have to leave early. Go get me some more firewood, will you?"  
  
"Kay." Bikky agreed, still half asleep and not alert enough to even argue.  
  
~*~*~*~  
  
Bikky yawned again, fighting just to keep his eyes open. It was barely dawn; he'd never been up this early before that he could remember.  
  
"I hate getting firewood." The Chibi muttered crossly, grabbing another dry stick off the forest floor. "Why do I always have to get it? Why can't Usagi, or Daughter, or Alfeegi or one of those freeloaders who insist on coming with us everywhere? This isn't fair!" Bikky continued grumbling as he worked his way further from the campsite without even realizing it.  
  
"You lost, little boy?" A voice that did not sound friendly asked from above the tiny blond.  
  
Bikky stiffened and turned slowly to stare at the branches of the tree next to him, where a Bishonen with short silver hair and menacing red eyes sat. No, he decided in an instant, this Bishie was definitely not friendly.  
  
"Because if you are, I'd be happy to help you find your way."  
  
"No thanks." Bikky said, taking a slow step back towards the fire and Sango. "I know exactly where I am, and I need to get back before Sango- mama starts to worry."  
  
The silver-haired Bishonen smiled chillingly and dropped to the ground behind Bikky, cutting off his escape route. "All mothers worry. It does them good, makes them feel important." He said. "So let her worry instead of mourn, and come with me."  
  
Bikky turned around sharply. No matter how young he was, he'd been around his father long enough to know a death threat when he heard one. His whole body, barely half the size of the strange Bishie's, began trembling violently. He dropped the wood he'd gathered and backed away three slow, unsteady steps.  
  
"And I won't even kill you, no matter how easy that would be." Those cruel red eyes bored into Bikky's, pinning him where he was. "No, I believe I'd rather kill that pretty little thing with the long black hair. I do believe her name is Donn."  
  
"D-don't you lay a finger on Donn!" Bikky tried to yell, although it came out more like a stuttered plea than an order.  
  
"If you come with me, I won't."  
  
"W-who are y-you?" Bikky asked in a trembling whisper, wanting to know who this man was, even if there was nothing he could do with the information.  
  
"Children." The man said with a humorless chuckle. "Always asking questions. My name is Dilandilou, though this fact does you little good."  
  
"Okay." Bikky said, glancing uncertainly towards the dim glow of the bonfire in the distance. "I'll come. But I can't go very far, because Donn's my trainer, got it?"  
  
"Of course." Dilandilou agreed, gesturing for Bikky to follow him as he headed through the trees to his left. "We'll stay close by. I promise."  
  
~*~*~*~  
  
"Where is that brat?" Sango demanded in an irritated hiss, glaring at the dense underbrush. "It shouldn't be taking him this long to get a little firewood!"  
  
"Something's wrong." Donn said suddenly, her face paling to the same white as computer paper. "Bikky's all the way on the edge of the safety zone, and I don't think it was his choice to go there."  
  
"Safety zone?" Anya asked sleepily, rubbing one eye. "What are you babbling about? How can you tell where Bikky is?"  
  
"That's not important." Usagi said uneasily, shifting from one foot to the other. "Heero, didn't you put a tracking device in one of his skates?"  
  
"Yes." Donn's Heero said. "But it was a prototype, and can't work accurately enough around all these trees. We can't count on it."  
  
"He...he's going beyond where I can feel him!" Donn exclaimed, her breathing becoming faster and slightly frantic. "He knows not to do that! Something has to be forcing him!"  
  
"Fuck!" Alfeegi cursed. "Heero, give her some of those painkillers, and do it now before she faints! Donn, can you tell which direction he's in?"  
  
Donn nodded, accepting two pills from her Heero with violently shaking hands. "W-west..." She said weakly, her voice just as unsteady as her body. "H-he's so...so... afraid, Ko-chan...."  
  
"We have to get moving now." Nuriko said, picking Donn up and turning away from the rising sun. "We're going ahead; break camp and follow us as soon as you can."  
  
~*~*~*~  
  
Bikky grimaced, hiding it carefully. ~It shouldn't hurt yet.~ He thought. ~I hope Donn can't feel it yet.~  
  
"How much further?" He demanded, kicking a rock out of his way.  
  
"We're only a half a mile away, little kid." Dilandilou answered tauntingly. "Why? Thinking of going back?"  
  
"No! I'm a Bikky, and Bikkys never go back on their word! It's just-" Bikky hesitated, not sure if he should tell this creep any of Donn's secrets. Then the slight pressure that told him he was too far away disappeared, meaning Donn was headed his way. "It's just I'm bored outta my freakin skull!" He yelled, kicking another rock.  
  
"Perhaps if I broke your arm, you would not be so bored." The red-eyed Bishie suggested, casting a sly glance over his shoulder.  
  
"Then I'd be bored and in pain, so no thanks."  
  
~*~*~*~  
  
Donn held on to Nuriko for dear life, her eyes squeezed shut against the pain of having Bikky so far away.  
  
~I should let them go.~ She thought to herself once more. ~But then I'd have to go back, and I don't think I could bear not having Ko-chan with me.~  
  
"Does it still hurt?" Nuriko asked suddenly, pausing to catch his breath.  
  
"Y-yes..." Donn managed in a whisper. "But it's not the distance. It's the fear. He's terrified, Ko-chan. Terrified. Someone's scaring my Bikky so much that he's going beyond the safety zone. Who would do such a terrible thing?" She demanded.  
  
"Whoever it is, they're dead as soon as I get ahold of them." Nuriko stated flatly, setting off again.  
  
~*~*~*~  
  
"Usagi." Sanosuke said, grabbing the odangoed blond by the arm.  
  
"W-what?" Usagi asked nervously, glancing towards the other Bishies.  
  
"You're going to talk to me, and you're going to do it now." Sano said, letting her go and crossing his arms over his chest. "So you'd better start. How can Donn tell where Bikky is?"  
  
"It...I...I don't know." She said truthfully, looking at the ground. "Ever since it happened, Donn's been able to tell where we are all the time, and we can't go very far. Especially not Nuriko."  
  
"Since what happened?" Sano asked, not entirely sure he should be pushing the subject, but suddenly insatiably curious.  
  
"I...I don't think I should tell you." Usagi whispered, eyes still glued to the ground. "Donn might not be ready for you to know. I can't betray her trust like that."  
  
"Sano, what's going on back there?" Anya yelled, glaring over her shoulder at the two. "Time is of the essence her, so get a move on!"  
  
"We're coming!" Sano yelled back, returning his trainer's glare with interest. "So quit nagging! And don't think I'm done with you." He added to Usagi, stuffing his hands in his pockets and walking off.  
  
"He's a nosy bastard." Donn's Heero said, rounding a tree behind Usagi. "Don't worry; I'll keep him off your back until we catch up with Donn."  
  
"A-arigato, Heero." The blond said, bowing slightly.  
  
~*~*~*~  
  
I'm gonna end this chapter here, because I don't feel like writing all the other stuff. I wanna give each problem its own chapter or something. I don't know. It just seems like I should end it here, you know.  
  
Next chapter: More shocking secrets are revealed as the group fights an unknown and terrifying power for the life of Donn's child. 


	6. Reunion

Hey, people. It's me again.  
  
You know, I've been working so much on this story lately that I barely get to write for any of my other fics. I'm probably going to discontinue- or at least put on hold- a lot of them, since I just can't seem to work on them anymore.  
  
To Merina- Hey, your mind isn't my mind. We're wired differently, so it's only natural that we react differently to the same things. If you like Dilandou, why do you want us to kick his ass? You know what? I think I'll let you do that. A good drop kick, followed by ass-kicking, face-whacking frying pan action sounds good. Just kidding. No one's gonna kick my D- kun's ass. Not even Sango.  
  
To BlackyGirl- Do you know how long it's been since I've watched Kikaider? And I think they took it off Adult Swim, so I'm basically screwed until my mom gives in and buys it for me. Waah! *sits on the floor and wails* But you know, a few Kikaider Bishies would make a good addition to the team... I'll seriously think about it for you, kay? I always did like Jiro and his guitar.  
  
To Songwind- You think I'm good? Yay! *rescues Dilandou* Stop smacking him! It's not like he likes what he does! *turns Dilandou into a chibi neko and starts petting him* Heehee.... And as if working on this would kill me. Actually, the opposite is probably closer to the truth.  
  
To Saisaishi- Well, if you're gonna be cryptic and weird like that, then I've got nothing I can say, either. Guess we're just a couple of speechless bakas, ne?  
  
How long should I wait until I tell my loyal fans all of Donn's deep dark secrets? I think I'll start this chapter.  
  
Got Neko?  
  
~*~*~*~  
  
"Why do I always find trainers that are trouble magnets?" Anya grumbled to herself, shaking sweat out of her eyes. "Do I have some sort of sign hanging over my head that says 'Troubled Trainers Come Here'? My life sucks."  
"What's the matter?" Merina asked, keeping pace with the taller girl easily.  
"Dammit, what the hell are you? A gymnast?" Anya demanded, glaring at the redhead. "You aren't even breathing hard!"  
"My Bishies keep me in shape." Merina said simply. "So, you got any idea what this 'safety zone' stuff they're babbling about is?"  
"Not a clue." Anya responded. "Can you tell where your Bishies are? I can't."  
"Me neither. Something's definitely up with Donn. I just wish I knew what."  
  
~*~*~*~  
  
Bikky paused at the entrance to the cave Dilandou had brought him to, blinking as his eyes adjusted to the dim light.  
"You coming, Shorty?" Dilandou asked, glancing over his shoulder. "My trainer doesn't like waiting."  
"Who gives a damn what your trainer likes?" Bikky shot back, spitting out of the corner of his mouth. "I sure as hell don't."  
"Well, I do, because when she's pissed, she takes it out on me. Don't you?" The older Bishonen's red eyes glared venomously at a darker shadow in the back of the small cave before he dropped to one knee, turning his gaze to the ground.  
"Everyone needs a punching bag." The shadow agreed, becoming a woman as she walked past Dilandou and moved to stand in front of Bikky. "You have great fire in your eyes." She said. "Your hatred will be useful, once I make you mine."  
"Good luck, Lady." Bikky said as rudely and sarcastically as he could manage. "You're gonna need it when my parents and Donn catch up to you. Sango-mama's gonna kick you're a-"  
Before he could finish, the woman backhanded the Chibi, her eyes the color of an angry storm cloud. "Watch your mouth, little boy." She spat. "I do not tolerate disobedience or insolence. Am I understood?"  
"Perfectly." Bikky said, matching the woman glare for glare. "Now, since you decided to kidnap me before breakfast, can I have some food? Please?" The last word was an afterthought; an insult, almost, in timing and delivery.  
The woman fumed for a moment, visibly restraining from harming Bikky. "Dilandou, make yourself useful for once and feed this brat, would you? Vicious and I are going to check for pursuit." With that, she stomped out of the cave, muttering under her breath.  
"What a bitch." Bikky said as soon as she was out of earshot. "And she's your trainer? I feel sorry for you, dude."  
"Shut up, kid." Dilandou muttered crossly. "I don't need you to tell me what I already know. And I don't want your pity, either."  
"Jeez, but you're a catty bitch. Where's the grub? I'll make you something."  
"You can cook? Aren't you a little young for that?"  
"I may be a Chibi, but I can sure as hell take care of myself." Bikky replied as her rooted through what food he'd found already. "Hey, cool! Steak! My favorite! Say, you aren't, like, Vegan or something, are you?"  
Dilandou chose not to answer, opting to glare at Bikky instead.  
  
~*~*~*~  
  
"The fear is gone, Ko-chan!" Donn exclaimed suddenly. "And we're so close to him, he'd hear us if we were to shout!"  
"Good." Nuriko stopped running, assuming a slow, deliberate pace Heero had drilled into all of Donn's Bishies. "Now we just have to kill whoever took him, and everything will be fine."  
  
~*~*~*~  
  
"Anya, Merina, we just got a message from Donn!" Daughter exclaimed, flying parallel to the two trainers. "She says they found Bikky, and we should act as decoys so they can snatch him back!"  
"That's good news." Anya said, relieved. "Thanks, Daughter."  
"No problem." Daughter responded with a sweet smile. "Donn also said to tell you that 'those damned Heeros are in charge till Ko-chan and I get back.' She thought even you should listen to them."  
"Was she a war general in a past life or something?" Merina asked. "Cause she's throwing orders around like she might have been."  
"Could be." Anya replied. "Could well be."  
  
~*~*~*~  
  
"You were right, kid." Dilandou said finally. "You can cook."  
"Glad you think so." Bikky said, acting like the child he was for the moment. "When Papa caught Mama teaching me, he got really mad. Donn had to throw her shoe at him to get him to calm down." The Chibi's eyes grew sad, dwelling on the hazy memories he had of his birth parents.  
"You okay, kid?" Dilandou asked. "You looked real out of it for a second there."  
"I'm fine." Bikky said. "Just...thinking. You know, about Mama and Papa. And my name's not kid. It's Bikky."  
"All right, Bikky. Feel like talking about them?"  
"Only if this means we're friends." Bikky replied. He'd never really had another guy he could talk to. Kurama was the father figure in his life, which made him off-limits for soul-searches in Bikky's eyes. Nuriko was too busy taking care of Donn, Heero was just plain scary, Kenshin was always practicing with his sword, and the girls were....well, girls. And growing boys just did not talk to girls about anything important.  
"Friends?" Dilandou repeated thoughtfully, polishing off his meal. "I suppose we could be. Although I can't for the life of me think why you'd want to be friends with someone who threatened your trainer."  
"Hey, when she's pissed, she takes it out on you, right? So your number one goal in life is to not piss her off. I can understand. Moms are the same way, sometimes."  
  
~*~*~*~  
  
"Hell of a diversion, Heero-no-baka!" Anya yelled over the sound of rapid gunfire. "That's the fifth time I've almost been shot!"  
"Sorry, Anya, but it's the best we could come up with without knowing who we'd be facing!" Her Heero shouted back, pausing long enough to return fire.  
"At least Usagi's being useful!" Merina called cheerfully, a few feet in front of Anya. "I'm tellin' ya, I had no idea Eternal Sailor Moon could fly!"  
"Neither did I!" Eternal Sailor Moon yelled. "Wasn't aware of the fact that I could shield, either!"  
"Donn and her Bishies are just full of surprises, huh?" Merina grinned back over her shoulder, stepping suddenly to the left to avoid an energy blast.  
"How the hell can you be so happy at a time like this?" Sango demanded, hurling her boomerang.  
"Just trying to keep the mood light!" The redheaded trainer said with a grin. "Almost there, troops!"  
  
~*~*~*~  
  
"They're escaping, Michelle." Vicious said, growling under his breath as the long-haired Bishonen managed once again to save the small- winged, large-chested twit from a bullet.  
"Doesn't matter, V-baby." The blue-eyed trainer said, firing her own gun at the girl with the long red ponytail just to see her jump again. "I don't see the Nuriko or the Bikky's trainer with them."  
"That pathetic weakling's probably back at the camp, crying her eyes out." Michelle's Wufei snorted, easing back on the trigger of his gun. "It would be unwise to pursue them past the tree line; we're risking notice enough as it is."  
"I know that, Wufei." Michelle snapped. "Saturn, go see if that lazy-ass Dilandou of mine's taking care of our guest, would you?"  
"Yes, Mistress Michelle." Super Sailor Saturn said, bowing slightly before hefting her glaive and turning towards the cave.  
  
~*~*~*~  
  
"Man, your life sucked." Bikky said after Dilandou finished his story. "I don't know what I'd've done without Mama and Papa."  
"Can't miss what you've never known, right?" Dilandou countered, lying down on the ground with his arms under his head. "But from what you've told me, I think I would have liked having parents. It sounds fun."  
"Hey, do you hear gunshots?" Bikky asked suddenly, leaning towards the entrance to the cave.  
"Now that you mention it.... Must mean your friends followed us, cause the bitch-boss doesn't waste bullets."  
"Think now would be a good time for me to run?" Bikky asked slyly, grinning at Dilandou.  
"A very good time." A strange voice said from the entrance of the cave. Framed by the bright sunlight was a young man with black hair dressed in bellbottoms and a jean jacket with a guitar on his back. "Donn's waiting for you in the forest to the left with Nuriko; I'll hold off any pursuit that may come this way before you can escape." "And just who the hell are you?" Bikky asked, pushing himself to his feet. "My name's Jiro, not that it matters. You really should go; Donn will worry if you wait too long." "Whatever." Bikky shrugged. "C'mon, Dilandou. Donn'll figure out how to rescue you from the clutches of the Bitch Queen."  
  
~*~*~*~  
  
"Here he comes." Nuriko said, his eyes locked on the rapidly growing figure near the cliffs. "Someone's following him."  
"It must be a friendly someone." Donn said calmly. "Bikky isn't afraid at all. He's worried a little, but that's to be expected at a time like this."  
"Donn!" Bikky yelled, skating into a tree before he could stop himself. "Boy, am I glad to see you!" The Chibi exclaimed, hugging his trainer and the Nuriko carrying her in turn. "I made a friend, Donn! His name's Dilandou! He's the Bitch Queen's, but I'm sure you can get her to let him go! And what was up with that freaky Jiro dude? Is he with us? When'd you catch a new Bishonen? He sure as hell wasn't with us this morning. And-"  
"Bikky!" Dilandou exclaimed. "That's too many questions too fast! Slow down, take a deep breath, and be quiet! Saturn just got back to the cave, and I'd really rather she wasn't the one who found us, okay?"  
  
~*~*~*~  
  
"Message from Donn!" Daughter called happily, flying over to Anya, Merina, and the Heero. "They've got Bikky, and we might wind up with two new members of the team. But first she has to confront the trainer who kidnapped Bikky and beat the living...I refuse to finish that one."  
"I'm sure you don't have to, Daughter." Donn's Heero assured her patiently. "It seems that Donn has everything under control. We'll set up camp here and await her return."  
  
~*~*~*~  
  
"I'm going to kill him!" Michelle screamed, throwing her gun against the cave wall so hard it broke. "Find that bastard and bring him here now!" She ordered.  
"No need." Donn said. "He's already here."  
Michelle whirled to find Bikky, Nuriko, Donn, Dilandou, and a strange Bishonen standing between her and the outside.  
"Hi, Bitch Queen!" Bikky said cheerfully, flipping the blue-eyed trainer off with both hands. "You picked the wrong trainer to mess with, let me tell you!"  
"You kidnapped my Bikky." Donn said in a dangerously quiet voice. "You ordered your Dilandou to kidnap my Bikky and threaten to kill me if he refused. I must say, I don't like that. I don't like it one little bit."  
"And what do you plan to do about it?" Michelle sneered. "Yell at me?"  
"Nuriko, I'll be handling her myself. Keep her Bishies out of this."  
"Okay." Nuriko said cheerfully, setting Donn on her own two feet. "Just don't over-do it."  
"Whatever." Donn walked to Michelle, a little shaky on her feet. "Here's what I'll do about it." The smaller girl stated, backhanding Michelle across the face. "I'm going to kick your ass."  
  
~*~*~*~  
  
Bikky had earned a new respect for his trainer. For a frail little girl six months pregnant who'd barely walked for the past three or four weeks, she was damned good at kicking ass.  
And she'd already forgiven Dilandou for the whole kidnapping thing, which rated her very high indeed with the Chibi. Now he had someone to talk to, as soon as the other Bishies got over it, which could take a while.  
But in the meantime, there was still the freaky Jiro dude to get used to. He was really quiet, but not like the Heeros. The Heeros were quiet because they didn't believe in wasting words. Jiro was quiet because he didn't think he had anything worth saying. He just kind of sat there playing his guitar.  
As far as Bikky was concerned, traveling with his trainer was about to get a lot more interesting.  
  
~*~*~*~  
  
"WHAT?!?!" Sango screamed, staring at Donn and Nuriko in open shock.  
"I've taken in the Dilandou who kidnapped Bikky." Donn repeated calmly. "And if any of you threaten or harm him in any way maliciously, I will personally kick your asses, got me?"  
"She can do it, too!" Bikky piped up from behind Dilandou, grinning like a maniac. "She beat the Bitch Queen up like it was nothing!"  
"Watch your language, young man!" Sango admonished, glaring at the Chibi. "You, young man, have dishes to do. Get to it!"  
"On second thought, I think I may be glad I never knew my mom." Dilandou whispered to Bikky. "She's scarier than Michelle."  
"Only most of the time." Bikky responded. "C'mon; you can help me with my chores."  
"Oh, no he won't!" Sango interrupted. "He and I need to have a chat. Kurama, come get my boomerang. I don't want to kill him on accident."  
"But Sango-momma!"  
"You. Dishes. Now!"  
"I'm goin, I'm goin! Calm down!"  
"Don't make me say it again, Bikky." Sango said, forcing herself to calm down. She grabbed Dilandou's wrist and dragged him into the surrounding forest, muttering under her breath.  
  
"All right, Dilandou." Sango said tiredly, letting the silver-haired Bishie go and sliding down the trunk of a nearby tree. "If Donn agreed to take you in, you can't be all that bad. But as of right now, I do not like you."  
"Understandable." Dilandou agreed, dropping cross-legged to the ground. "I did kidnap your son, after all. There's no excuse for that, no matter what some would say. I'd understand completely if you hated me for that alone."  
Sango gave a bark of humorless laughter. "That alone means I couldn't possibly hate you." She sighed heavily, resting her elbows on her knees and dropping her chin into her hands. "You're too damned honest to hate. You're not making excuses; anyone else would have blamed in on the trainer. You admit your crime without being prompted, and you act as if you expect to be hated for it. I want to hate you, but I can't."  
"And here I thought I'd made myself an enemy for sure." Dilandou said, sighing in mock-disappointment. "Bikky and I get along rather well; I hope you don't mind if I spend most of my time with him."  
"Not really." Sango said, smiling suddenly. "And I'll keep the other wolves off your back about it, too. After all, a growing boy needs friends, doesn't he?"  
  
~*~*~*~  
  
Jiro smiled tolerantly at Bikky, adjusting the Chibi's small hands on the neck and strings of his guitar. The young blond had the makings of a true musician, if he could get an instrument of his own. Jiro's guitar was too big.  
"Like this?" Bikky asked, playing the simple scale Jiro had spent the past few hours teaching him.  
"Yes." Jiro said. "Now try it a little faster now."  
"Sure thing!" Bikky tried again, this time missing the last note. "Damn!"  
"It's the guitar." Jiro said thoughtfully, leaning back against the log behind him. "It's much too big for you. You need one your size."  
"What's going on over here?" Donn asked suddenly, seeming to appear behind Bikky, hanging on to Nuriko's arm. "Learning to play guitar, Bik- chan?"  
"Yup!" Bikky affirmed happily. "Jiro's teaching me, but he says I need a smaller one, cause his is too big."  
"I would imagine so." Dilandou said from the ground on the other side of Bikky. "Then again, what in this world isn't too big for you, Shrimpy?"  
"Ah, shaddup." Bikky muttered, throwing his hat at Dilandou. "I'm not gonna be a Chibi forever, ya know! I'm gonna grow up to be a big, strong Sama, just like Papa!"  
"That's right." Donn said quietly, leaning forward and hugging Bikky. "You'll be just as strong and kind as your dad." Her eyes grew sad, sparkling with tears. "And just as brave as your mom. I know you will."  
"Don't get all sad, Donn." Bikky said, patting Donn's arms. "Heero's gonna start worrying about you again if you get sad."  
"Heero always worries too much." Donn retorted, plopping down on the log suddenly. "Ko-chan, take me to my sleeping bag? Kicking ass takes a lot out of me."  
  
~*~*~*~  
  
Donn woke in the pearly gray light of false dawn, unable to sleep any longer. As her eyes adjusted to the dim light, she noticed that Dilandou and her Heero were not in their sleeping bags. Rather, they were about twenty feet to her right, in the trees on the edge of the clearing.  
~Heero would not give Dilandou guard duty so soon after joining.~ she thought, slipping out of her sleeping bag, careful not to disturb Nuriko. ~I wonder what they're doing.~ Pulling on her jacket, she made her slow, wobbly way toward the two Bishies.  
  
She found them near a small, noisy brook, in a very unusual position for two Bishonen who had only met yesterday.  
Dilandou was asleep with his back against a smooth gray boulder, a light blanket wrapped around his shoulders. Heero was on the ground next to the silver-haired Bishie, his head cradled in Dilandou's lap. (A/N~ this is me, people. You had to expect at least some yaoi action!)  
"Well, this is unexpected." Donn said quietly. Of course, considering the two asleep in front of her, it wasn't quietly enough.  
Heero woke up almost immediately, drawing a gun from under his blanket and pointing it at Donn. "Who's there?" he asked in a low voice.  
"It's me, Hee-chan." Donn responded in the same whisper, moving closer. "Donn. Now kindly point that gun somewhere else, okay?"  
"Sorry." Heero put the gun back where it had come from and sat up, gently shaking Dilandou awake.  
"What's going on here?" Donn asked, slipping under Heero's blanket. "I could have sworn that you only met each other yesterday, and I know for a fact that you don't believe in love at first sight, Heero."  
"Actually..." Dilandou started nervously, smiling a little. "We grew up together. I kind of wandered around after I got old enough to. We met when we still Chibis. Then one day, after we both hit San, Heero up and disappeared. I found out he'd been captured and set out to find him."  
"You remember how I seemed to hate you when you first caught me?" Heero reminded his trainer. "That was because D-chan and I really were in love, and I held you responsible for my loosing him. After a while, I forgave you, thinking it couldn't really be helped. And to think you'd wind up bringing us back together again." The Gundam Wing Bishie chuckled, shaking his head. "Guess life's funny that way."  
"That's a sweet story." Donn admitted, smiling at the two. "But why did you two come all the way out here? Why not just tell me, at least, if not the others?"  
"To tell you the truth...I didn't think you'd understand." Heero said, ducking under the blanket. "After all, we don't really talk about things like that."  
"Well, now I know, and you know I don't mind, so let's get back before Nuriko wakes up and finds me gone. Carry me, D-chan?" She added, turning her best puppy-dog eyes on him. "Pretty please?"  
"Your wish is my command, Lady." Dilandou said, standing up. "After all, we owe you one, don't we?"  
"What were you doing up so early, anyway?" Heero asked, neatly folding the two blankets. "Usually, you're one of the last ones awake in the morning."  
"I was...I was dreaming about Bikky and Carol again." Donn admitted. "But it was one of the good dreams. Bikky's birth, in fact. I don't think Carol was ever happier, once the whole labor thing was over with."  
"Yeah..." Heero agreed quietly. "I told D-chan about Carol and Bikky. You don't mind, do you?"  
"Not at all. He's a member of the team now. Tell him anything you want to. But-"  
"There's always a but." Dilandou sighed. "Wherever there's a woman, there's a but."  
"Yes, there is. But, you have to tell the others about you two sometime soon. I hate keeping secrets from Ko-chan."  
"Yes, ma'am."  
  
~*~*~*~  
  
Donn yawned hugely, snuggling into Nuriko's chest. She purred under her breath, a trick that had been drilled into her in the human world that she had yet to get rid of. The late afternoon sun felt good on her back, and she was totally comfortable surrounded by people she could consider friends.  
"Umm...Donn?" Bikky asked, tugging on the leg of Donn's jeans. "Did you know you're purring?"  
"I am?" Don asked, giggling. "Sorry. I still can't break that habit."  
"Hey, unusual talents like that can win you awards back home." Anya said, kicking Sanosuke in the shin.  
"I am home." Donn whispered, her eyes taking on a sad, defeated look. "I'm never going back to that horrible place again."  
"What was that?" Bikky said curiously. "I couldn't hear ya, Donn."  
"I...don't think she wanted you to, kid." Dilandou said, pushing Bikky forward a little. "Why don't you go bug the Heeros with Usagi and Chichiri?" He suggested delicately.  
"Sure!" Bikky agreed, running ahead.  
"You gonna make it till nightfall, Donn?" Nuriko asked. "If you want to stop, we will."  
"No." Donn said, forcefully as she could and still whisper. "We...we have to get out of the woods before sundown, or something bad is going to happen."  
"You sure?" Nuriko asked, stopping in his tracks.  
"Y-yes." Donn said. "It's another one. For a few minutes now, and it's getting really strong."  
"What are you two talking about?" Anya demanded, having stopped as well. "Another what? What's going on?"  
Donn stared at her new friend uncertainly, as if just realizing that someone else was there. "We...we have to go." She whispered finally. "Now."  
"I'm not moving one step until I know what the hell is going on here!" Anya snapped angrily. "How the hell can you tell where your Bishies are? What's this 'safety zone' you keep babbling about? How do you know we have to be out of the woods by nightfall? Answer me, or we aren't going anywhere!"  
"We don't have time!" Donn yelled desperately, looking ready to cry. The rest of the group doubled back, alerted to the stopped trainers by Donn's shout. "We'll barely make it out as it is! We have to go now!"  
"What's going on?" Merina asked, looking from Anya's stormy expression to Donn's anxious one. "Why are you two yelling at each other?"  
"We have to get out of this forest." Donn asserted in a trembling voice, her eyes filling with tears. "We're all in danger if the moon finds us still within the bounds of these trees without shelter."  
"I told you, we're not going anywhere until I get some answers!" Anya yelled.  
"I think we should wait until we're out of here for those answers." Merina disagreed. "Donn's about ready to break down crying, and I seriously don't think she does that often. Let's get out of here, then you can pull the third degree on her, okay?"  
"Fine." Anya snapped. "But if it's so goddamn important, let's get a move on."  
"Thank you." Donn said, sighing heavily with relief. "Thank you so much."  
  
~*~*~*~  
  
And that evil power we've all been waiting for finally rears its ugly head... kinda.  
  
We're running into ten pages here, though, so I'm stopping now, with a poor excuse for a cliffie. 


	7. Revelations and Recollections

Yes, I am back. Chapter six was a long-ass chapter for me, so no  
complaining about this one being shorter.  
Saisaishi- You should know that confused is my natural state of mind. If  
someone is already off in la-la land, it's kind of hard to send her there.  
But that's beside the point. I'm trying to keep the yaoi in this one  
really toned down, and focus more on the relationships between the trainers  
and their Bishies. D-chan and Heero are kind of a sideline romance, so  
their relationship won't be very out there, unless I'm in a yaoi mood, big  
time. The great evil is....evil. And as for Kurama, I haven't seen that far  
in the series, but I'll try to fit Yoko-chan in there. gets bopped with  
the rose whip Itai! 'Scuse me. Gotta go kill a certain silver-haired  
fox demon. Yoko Kurama- Itai! Itai! All right! I'm sorry! I'll never  
do it again! Just stop with the damn frying pan!  
BlackyGirl- Damn straight, I'm a Kikaider fan. My little sis isn't,  
though. baps little sister with a frying pan But she's touched, anyway.  
And timing has nothing to do with the fact that we're broke. I could try,  
but the rent is a little more important than my anime.  
On to the story!  
------------  
Donn released a breath she hadn't realized she'd been holding as the  
group crossed an invisible boundary. Almost immediately, her headache  
disappeared, as did the feeling of impending disaster and the sun.  
"We made it." She gasped out, winded, even though she hadn't been  
running. "We can stop."  
Most of the Bishies, Merina, and Anya immediately collapsed, Donn's  
Heero catching both Dilandou and Bikky before they hit the ground.  
"Now." Anya panted heavily, reaching eagerly for the water bottle  
Daughter offered her. "Explain. I... wanna know... what the... hell.... This is  
all about."  
"Me, too." Merina said, dropping her head into Sesshomaru's lap.  
"I'm curious now."  
"Don't worry." Donn said softly, not paying much attention to the  
two other trainers. "He's just exhausted. He'll be fine once he rests.  
Oh, were you guys talking?"  
"Yes." Anya said, draping herself over Sanosuke's shoulder. "I  
wanna know what the hell's going on!"  
  
"After I tend to my Bishies." Donn countered, standing and swaying a  
little before moving on to Kurama. "Good; he's out." She said, sighing  
with relief. "If I counted right, tonight's the full moon. Sango?"  
"Yeah?" Sango asked, looking up from her place across the clearing,  
flat on her stomach.  
"Think you can handle him alone tonight?"  
"No prob. I'll go find a stream. He likes running water, for some  
weird reason." The InuYasha Bishojo sighed, pushing herself into a sitting  
position. "Can someone carry him for me?"  
"I will." Jiro spoke up shyly, not in the least winded.  
"Oh, that's unfair." Anya complained sourly. "How could he have  
carried Bikky half the time and not be dead on his feet?"  
"He's an android." Donn replied absently, waving as Jiro, Sango, and  
Kurama headed back towards the woods.  
"I thought we had to be out of the woods." Merina said, puzzled.  
"Yes; we, the humans, had to be out in the open. The Bishies will be  
fine; the force after us will not affect them at all."  
"Now you really need to start explaining stuff." Anya growled. "I  
did not just almost loose my legs for nothing, missy."  
"All right." Donn sighed. "But it's going to be a long story,  
because I have to start at the beginning."  
"Now, this I gotta hear." Sanosuke said, settling into a more  
comfortable position around the fire Jiro had started.  
"It basically started about five years ago, when I was thirteen."  
Donn said, shifting into the ultimate 'story-telling mode,' which made  
everyone else switch to 'listening to the ultimate storyteller mode.' "I  
was living with my father and his boyfriend then. Sometimes I'd have bad  
feelings about things that turned out to be right. Dad called them  
hunches. His boyfriend Jeff called them premonitions. I lean more towards  
Jeff's explanation.  
"Well, I got one of those bad feelings when my friend said she was going to  
meet an online buddy of hers, so I asked if I could go with her. Once  
again, I was right, and we were both kidnapped."  
Donn's hands began shaking slightly, and she wrapped them around her upper  
arms to still them, hoping no one had noticed. "I endured a year and a  
half of the sick, twisted man trying to turn me into some human cat of a  
sex slave." Now her whole body began shaking as she tried to keep the  
memories of those horrible months from surfacing completely. "I-it was  
terrible. H-he...he loved it; I know he did. I d-don't th-think you want  
the details." She took a deep breath before continuing. "He left me alone  
one day, when he thought he'd broken me.  
"Since I couldn't bust down the door, I figured an e-mail to Dad would make  
things all better. I got onto the computer and got to my account, but I  
was weak and not thinking clearly, so I opened the first message in my  
inbox, which just happened to be the link. I clicked it and wound up at  
that webpage. I kind of came to my senses when he banged through the front  
door. Accidentally clicking that link may very well have saved my life.  
"After Orientation, I went out and caught the first Bishie I came across;  
that was Heero. Let me tell you, I wasn't very comfortable having only a  
boy for company, considering my most recent memories of that gender."  
As Donn spoke, night fell completely, the moon rose, and Jiro returned.  
The dark-haired, dark-eyed teen didn't notice any of it.  
"After a while, I grew to trust Heero, and we became good friends. My  
first premonition hit me when we were traveling near the hiding place of a  
criminal. Had I not insisted we take a different route, we both might have  
died that night.  
"But it wasn't the usual bad feeling; I actually knew that our lives would  
be in danger. It was the strongest, clearest premonition I'd had by then.  
My so-called power had grown much stronger.  
"I went around the world, picking up Bishies here and there, just content  
to be alive and free. Among the ones I captured were a Bikky and a Carol;  
neither one is with us anymore." Donn choked on her words, tears slipping  
down her cheeks no matter how hard she tried to hold them back.  
"Donn, do you want me to finish?" Heero asked gently. "I was there; I can  
tell it just as well as you. Don't force yourself."  
Donn, unable to speak now, nodded softly, scrubbing at the sudden waterfall  
of tears with the back of one hand.  
"Okay." Heero said, smiling sadly as he picked Donn up and handed her to  
Nuriko before turning back to the others. "Bikky and Carol were an item  
long before Donn caught them." He said, dropping cross-legged to the  
ground. "In fact, Carol was pregnant. Donn absolutely adored the two; she  
trusted me, but Bikky and Carol she truly loved with all her heart, almost  
as much as she loves Nuriko. That's probably why what happened affected  
her the way it did.  
We were all just wandering around one day just a few months ago when Donn  
sensed fear so great, it terrified her. We, of course, went to see what  
was going on. We walked right into the middle of a nightmare.  
A trainer was trying to catch a Chibi. Not really very uncommon, except  
very few trainers will kill the Chibi's parents in the process." Heero  
waited for the outraged murmurs to die a bit before continuing. "Bikky,  
who was foolishly brave and very nobly minded, decided he had to stop it.  
He ran right in the middle of the fight. He...didn't last long."  
"That's horrible!" Anya exclaimed.  
"At least his death was fairly painless." Nuriko whispered. "He died  
almost instantly, and didn't really feel it at all."  
"True." Heero agreed. "But painless or not, he was still dead. Donn  
collapsed where she stood; Carol went insane for a while. We managed to  
save the Chibi, who was eternally grateful, as were his remaining  
relatives.  
Carol regained her sanity, but Donn refused to wake. We knew she was  
alive, at least, but the shock of loosing Bikky like that was just... it was  
too much. She continued to sleep for weeks. When she finally did wake up,  
it was only to loose another."  
"Carol couldn't stand living without Bikky." Daughter interjected, taking  
up the tale. "She was going crazy without him; she stayed alive for her  
son, even though he only reminded her of her lost husband. When Donn woke  
up, she freed Carol. Carol asked Heero to shoot her, because if she  
committed suicide, she said she wouldn't be able to go to Bikky."  
"Please tell me you didn't." Haru whispered apprehensively, staring at  
Donn's Heero.  
"I did." Heero responded emotionlessly. "And I have lived with the pain  
and guilt of doing so ever since. I would much rather take Carol's place  
in Hell than let her be separated from the man she loved for eternity."  
"It is the burden of a soldier." Anya's Heero spoke up. "Please,  
continue."  
"We kind of figured out through trail and error that, ever since Carol's  
death, Donn has been very deeply connected with all of us." Alfeegi said.  
"She can tell where we are, what we're feeling, if we're in danger, and  
sometimes even what we're thinking and doing. She's closest to Nuriko,  
probably because she's carrying his child. And when we go more than a half  
a mile away, it causes Donn a lot more pain than we feel.  
"Donn is very important to us; she's sacrificed everything she could for  
us. We all owe her so much. But just having Bishies is a danger to her  
sanity. After all, two of them have died already, and some of us are going  
through the emotional roller coaster comparable to a human's teenage  
years."  
"But if she were to release us and return to the human world," Usagi added,  
"what then? Will that... demon... kill her? Will she loose her sanity and  
soul as well as her life? I, for one, am not willing to take the chance."  
"Me neither." Nuriko said, wrapping his arms gently around Donn's  
shoulders. "I'd rather die than loose Donn."  
"Okay," Anya said quietly, "but we still don't know what was going on back  
there in the woods."  
"Something is hunting in there." Donn said in a soft monotone, her eyes  
closed against the bright glow of the fire. "Hunting humans. It won't  
touch Bishies, whatever it is. Its mindtouch reeks of fear, pain and  
death. It fears only the moon and sun; it is a shadow, almost, and light  
strong enough will dissolve it. It...it has fed tonight." She shivered  
convulsively, her skin paling further. "It will rest, sated, until  
tomorrow night, when it will hunt itself another grisly feast."  
----The Next Morning----  
Donn woke to the muted sounds of Nuriko and Heero making breakfast,  
meaning Sango and Kurama hadn't returned. She opened her eyes and sat up  
slowly, looking up at the gray sky.  
-Storm's coming in.- She thought. It would be best to stick to the  
edge of the woods, where the trees would afford protection from the rain,  
but escape come nightfall would be easy.  
"Oh, Donn." Her Heero said quietly, making his way over to her.  
"You're awake."  
"Yes, and feeling as if I haven't slept at all." Donn replied,  
glancing around to see who else was up. "Where's Bikky?"  
"Sango came to get him not that long ago." Heero said. "She said  
Kurama ran off on her, and she wanted Bikky to help her look until you woke  
up."  
"Well, I guess I'd better go find him, hadn't I?" Donn asked,  
looking wistfully at her plate. "And you guys even made pancakes for me  
and everything. It's always on a good breakfast day, isn't it?"  
"Maybe." Nuriko said, smiling. "Why don't you eat first, and then  
we'll go look for Kurama. Don't forget, you've got a little one to take  
care of."  
"Like I can forget." Donn said peevishly, wolfing down the heap of  
eggs on her plate. "Our 'little one' keeps kicking my innards at night.  
Not to mention the major weight in there. I must have put on a hundred  
pounds by now!"  
"Yeah, right." Merina said, suddenly behind Donn and stealing her  
bacon. "You're barely showing, honey. I doubt you've put on any more than  
twenty or thirty, and that's damn good for six months."  
"Hey!" Donn exclaimed, slapping Merina lightly on the wrist. "My  
bacon! You no touchie! Nuriko, Merina stole my bacon!"  
"Wow, that's, like, totally horrible." Heero said in his usual  
monotone, giving his trainer a second helping.  
"Heero," Donn said quietly, staring at the tall brunette. "never,  
never, never speak like that again. You're creepy enough as it is."  
"I don't know if I should feel flattered or insulted." Heero  
retorted, grinning.  
"I don't believe what I'm seeing." Sanosuke said from the tree he'd  
been sleeping in. "A Spandex Boy smiling. The world's gonna-ow! What is  
it with you humans and throwing shoes at me?"  
"What is it with you and being an annoying ass?" Donn responded,  
hefting her other boot. "Anything else you wanna say about my Bishies?"  
"Why me?" Sano muttered, turning his back on the camp. "Why do I  
always wind up with the crazy, shoe-throwing idiots?"  
Donn threw her remaining boot and knocked Sanosuke right out of the  
tree.  
"Baka." Donn grumbled.  
"Brownie points and extra bacon for you!" Nuriko cheered. "He was  
really getting on my nerves."  
"I hate you all." Sano stated, brushing leaves out of his hair.  
"Let's go get Kurama, Sango, and Bikky." Donn said cheerfully,  
ignoring a certain bird-headed birdbrain. "Before they find..."  
"Yeah." Heero agreed. "That would be best."  
---------  
"Kurama!" Sango called, holding Bikky's hand as she pushed through  
the thick undergrowth. "Kurama, can you hear me?"  
"Kurama-papa!" Bikky shouted, looking all around him for any signs  
of movement. "Yo, Kurama-papa! Answer us!"  
:Bikky?: A voice in Bikky's head asked softly.  
:Hey, Donn. You find Kurama-papa?: Bikky responded.  
:Yes.: Donn replied. :He's about twenty or so feet in front of you  
and slightly to the left. Stay where you are; tell Sango what I said and  
wait for us.:  
"Sango-mama, Donn says she found Kurama-papa, and we should stay put.  
Don't know why, but we have to wait for the others here."  
"I wonder why..." Sango mused aloud, leaning against a nearby tree.  
----------  
Donn stumbled over a tree root, catching herself on Heero's arm.  
"You okay?" Dilandou asked, helping her regain her balance.  
"I'm fine." Donn said, wiping sweat from her forehead and smiling.  
"You guys worry too much."  
"We have reason to worry about you," Heero said. "considering your  
incredible talent for finding yourself in over your head."  
"That's not nice." Donn said, stepping over a large tree root with  
exaggerated care. "I happen to believe that nothing that happens to me is  
my fault. I can blame everything on fate, and fate can't deny it."  
"That's a new way of thinking." Dilandou commented, rolling his  
eyes.  
"I'm all for new ways of thinking." Donn said cheerfully. "That's  
why I keep making them up."  
"Has she always been this insane?" Dilandou asked.  
"Always." Heero affirmed.  
"I'm right between you, ya know." Donn commented sourly, glaring up  
at the boys. "And why in the name of all that's holy are all my Bishies  
taller than me?! Even Bikky's giving me a run for my money, and he's a  
Chibi! This isn't fair!"  
"True." Heero agreed so evenly that Donn kicked him in the shin.  
----------  
Take That! Haha! Chapter seven, completed! Mission Accomplished! Too  
Much Excel Saga! I'm Acting Like Every Sentence is a Title of Some Sort!  
Go Me! 


	8. Breakthrough

Back with another chapter. This is now officially my longest story, and it's still got more to go. looks back over the story I must say, I don't get where I was for most of this. I think Rebbekha was writing it or something. And she's probably still writing it, too. Let's just refer to this as Rebbekha's story from now on, okay? And for those of you who don't know who Rebbekha is, go read Randomness.  
  
To BlackyGirl- I suck at saving money. I just used what was left of my money to buy a soda. I have no self-control... sighs And sorry about the whole long intervals between updates, but I'm working mostly on new stories lately, and I've been grounded for the past month. nervous laugh I'll try not to do that again...  
  
To Merina- I'm sure he does, what with that bushy wrap of his. rests on Sesshi, then runs from Merina  
  
To Songwind- Don't worry. There are funny parts, but overall it's not meant to make you laugh. I laughed writing parts of it, after all. It wasn't really all that easy for Donn to talk about it, but when others are in danger, she tends to tell them whatever they want to know, no matter what it is. Say, that spin-off would be a good idea; starting with Donn shooting out of Orientation like her tail was on fire. giggles Sorry about the ultimate story piece. That was the computer's fault, and I already smacked it for it. hands Sano a helmet I have a feeling you'll be needing this. BTW, I just found your story at Congrats.  
  
To Saisaishi- I'll hit the Youko if he hits me first, and so would you. Don't worry, Heero will never use hippy-speak again in this fic as long as I'm writing it. I know Sano deserved that, that's why I did it. Nothing happened to Kurama, you worrywart. He never comes right back. He usually gets to spend a night alone with his wife. Would you deprive poor Sango of a night alone with Kurama? You foul, cruel something-or-another! How dare you? Don't worry, Kurama's fine.  
  
----------  
  
They found Kurama in a small clearing with several strange Bishies. One, a small blond boy dressed in orange and blue, was curled up in Kurama's lap, crying weakly. Two were busy tending to the wounds of four more, who were laid in a neat row on top of a pile of blankets.  
"Kurama?" Donn asked softly. "Who are these?"  
"Survivors." Kurama said, just as softly, looking down at the boy in his lap. "I think he needs someone who's lost as much as he has now. Will you take care of him?"  
"Of course." Donn said, resisting the urge to sound disgusted. Instead, she instructed Nuriko to put her down next to Kurama. It took all three of them to move the boy to Donn's lap.  
"It's okay..." She soothed him, stroking his hair. "It's safe now. Go ahead and cry. I'm here for you. It's all right..." She continued to murmur softly until the boy finally cried himself to sleep, and continued to rock him until he woke again.  
  
"Ma...ma...?" The boy asked, confused, slowly opening his eyes.  
"No." Donn said sadly. "But I'm here if you need me, little one. Are you feeling better?"  
"Y-yeah. Am I in Heaven? A-are you an angel?"  
Donn couldn't help it; she laughed softly, covering her mouth with the back over her hand. "No, little one. I am no angel. Far from it, in fact."  
"Oh." He said, sounding a little disappointed. "Who are you?"  
"My name is Donn, little one. What's yours?"  
"Naruto." Naruto said, uncurling a little. "I... did...did any... anyone else... ?"  
"Yes." Donn said, glad to be able to give the child some good news. "You are one of seven."  
"Oh." Naruto said again, trying to look happy and failing miserably.  
"Tears are no more shameful in the light of day or good news after bad." Donn told him, smiling sadly. "Cry, child. I am here."  
Naruto nodded, burying his face in her shoulder again.  
  
----------  
  
"We can't very well take seven new Bishies with us." Anya said. "We don't have the money or the supplies."  
"We don't know that they will all want to go with us, if indeed any do." Donn pointed out, staring up at the sky. "They have lost their trainers to whatever hunts here; chances are they won't be quick to find new ones."  
"Speaking of which," Merina said, joining the other two trainers, "isn't it about time we head for the open? It's getting kind of late, and you said it would be hunting again tonight." She reminded Donn, drying off her hands.  
"I need to ask them something first, then we can go." Donn said, using a handy tree to pull herself to her feet. "You guys can start packing our stuff." She moved one slow, wobbly step at a time over to the survivors.  
"Hello, Miss Donn." A polite Bishonen with short black hair named Tetheus said, nodding a greeting. "How can we help you?"  
"I... have something to ask you." Donn said. "The thing that attacked you last night will be hunting again tonight, and we trainers need to leave the forest. Do... any of you want to... come with us? I'm not saying let us catch you, though!" She explained hastily. "It's just... well, I figured maybe some of you would want to stay with us for a little while before you go home or something is all!"  
"Can... can I go with them?" Naruto asked Tetheus, making big anime- style puppy-dog eyes at the older Bishie. "Me'n Bikky are kind of friends, you know? He's okay, as kids go."  
"Much as I'd like to go with you," A Bishojo with short blue hair and huge blue eyes said, "we can't move the Dee or Tasuki; they're too badly injured. I, at least, must stay with them."  
"It's okay." Donn said, smiling. "They'll be safest here until morning, unless another trainer happens upon you."  
  
----------  
  
In the light of the setting sun, the group set up camp a good distance from the tree line. Naruto and one of the wounded Bishonen named Vash joined them; they helped as best they could, considering Vash was missing an arm.  
Donn took the blood red clouds on the western horizon as a bad omen; someone else they could not reach was going to die. Another life would end tonight; maybe many more than one.  
"Don't look so down." Donn's Heero said, laying one hand gently on her shoulder. "We warned who we could; we can only do so much."  
"But what about the ones we couldn't find?" Donn asked plaintively, leaning heavily against her Bishie. "The ones we didn't even know about? I can't help but feel depressed; someone else is going to die tonight, I know it!"  
"You're only one woman, Donn." Heero said, putting an arm around her shoulders. "You can't take on the world, no matter which world it is. Promise you won't try too hard to do the impossible, okay?"  
"How can I make that kind of promise if we both know I'll break it?" Donn asked, a small smile tugging at the corners of her mouth. "To make me feel better?" Heero suggested, smiling sardonically. "C'mon, Donn. Just humor me, okay?" "Fine." Donn said, smiling back. "I do hereby promise not to try too hard to do the impossible, until such time as an opportunity to do so presents itself." "I suppose that'll have to do." Heero sighed. "Go sit down; you look paler than usual." "I don't know if I should be touched by your attention, or insulted by your bluntness." "You could be both."  
  
-----------  
  
Donn stretched lazily, smiling an equally lazy smile. She had finally gotten a full night's sleep, and her child had barely bothered her at all, which made her what was possibly the happiest woman in the world at the moment.  
Five seconds later, reality reared its ugly head and a tiny fist connected with her lower rib.  
"Owie..." She complained, sitting up. Nuriko was still asleep, his hair all over the pillow and blankets. Donn spared a moment to smile at the fact that her boyfriend's hair was easily twice as long as hers before slipping out into the early-morning drizzle, wrapping a blanket around her shoulders.  
"What are you doing up?" Vash asked from next to the small fire. "It's way early."  
"I noticed." Donn said dryly, lowering herself onto a handy log. "I don't want to be up so early; my baby decided Mama needed to wake up."  
"I take it your kid makes a lot of choices for you?" He asked, smiling at her.  
"Oh, yes." She said with a gusty sigh, pulling the blanket over her head like a cloak. "She makes life very difficult. I cannot wait for her to come out."  
"Oh, it's a girl?"  
"I'm hoping." She looked up at the overcast sky, her huge eyes seeking a forecast from the heavy gray clouds. "I hope the rain lets up, too. Wet is the worst way to travel, aside from wounded."  
"I think there might be an even worse way." Vash said, looking up as Nuriko, brush in hand, joined them.  
"And how is that?" Nuriko asked, handing the brush to Donn and sitting on the ground in front of her.  
"In labor." The blond said. "Vanessa, my trainer, went into labor on the road." Vash's smile turned sad, and he rubbed his shoulder with his remaining hand. "Ami did a spectacular roadside delivery. A boy. Dee was so proud."  
"How many trainers were in your group?" Donn asked hesitantly, her hands never pausing in her morning task.  
"Only two." Vash answered quietly, staring into the fire.  
"If you don't mind my asking," Donn said, "was the other trainer pregnant, too?"  
Vash laughed, a real laugh unlike the dead ones he'd laughed the night before. "No, I doubt Kevin was pregnant." He said, still laughing. "His Cesia sure was, though. She was very loud about it, and wouldn't stop complaining."  
"Vash, did whatever attacked you just go after Vanessa and Kevin?" Donn asked, her hands stopping halfway down Nuriko's hair. "Or did it go after Cesia as well?"  
Vash sat blinking at her, confused. Naruto, who had just crawled out of his shared tent, however, seemed to understand exactly what Donn was getting at.  
"It went right at Vanessa, Dee Jr, and Cesia." He said, pulling his shirt on. "I saw it. It went right past Kevin and tore into Cesia. Kevin only got killed cause he tried to protect her."  
Sudden understanding dawned on Vash. "It wasn't after us, it was after the kids! The halflings and their mothers!"  
"Exactly!" Donn said. "We have got to tell someone about this!" She half-stood, then sank back onto her perch. "But who should we tell? The police would never believe this."  
"How about LSS-sama?" Anya suggested, approaching the group from the tent she shared with Sano near the edge of the small camp. "I brought a similar crisis to her attention a while back. She knows I don't make stuff like this up."  
"That's a good idea." Donn said, resuming brushing Nuriko's hair. "Do you know where we can find her?"  
"No, but the police in the nearest town should." Anya said, plopping down next to Donn. "And if they don't, we can tell them what happened, at least, and they can warn people."  
Donn sighed with relief, smiling. "We're not far from a town called Sarsos now; it should only take us an hour or two to get there if we hurry." Then she gasped in pain, her smile replaced almost instantly with open-mouthed shock. "A-and we'd better hurry REAL fast!" She exclaimed breathlessly. "Because my baby isn't going to wait for us!"  
  
----------  
  
Nuriko was breathing heavily by the time he reached the outer limits of Sarsos City; after two hours of steady running, even he was getting tired. The others were a little while behind him, in Chichiri's hat. The blue-haired monk had graciously offered his service in light of the limitations Donn's sensitivities and the current situation put on them. It was good that he had; Donn needed a doctor, the other Bishies couldn't keep up with Nuriko for more than a few minutes, and even Chichiri's hat was lagging behind.  
"Don't worry, Donn." He said, pausing for a second to catch his breath. "We're in the city, and we just have to find the hospital."  
"Hurry, Ko-chan..." Donn said plaintively, tightening her arms around his shoulders. "They're getting closer togeth-" She broke of with a gasp. "H-hurry!" She all but wailed.  
"Hey, are you two okay?" A passer-by asked, concern etched on her face. "What's wrong?"  
"My trainer's in labor." Nuriko explained. "We need to get to the hospital. Can you take us there?"  
"Well, sure!" She said. "Come with me; it's not that far." She started down the street, taking a firm hold of Nuriko's sleeve as Chichiri's hat found its way around Nuriko's neck. "Pregnant trainer, coming through!" She shouted, clearing a path through the relatively thin crowd.  
The hospital was indeed very close; it was only a block away. In next to no time, Donn was on a stretcher, headed for the delivery room with Nuriko holding her hand.  
"You guys gonna be okay?" The helpful girl asked Nuriko before they went through the swinging double doors. "Because if you don't need me, I'm gonna-"  
"Stay!" Donn exclaimed, grabbing the girl's arm with her free hand. "We need to talk to you!"  
"But-"  
"Please, LSS-sama!" Donn pleaded, not letting go. "This is important! I have to talk to you! Stay till Anya gets here!"  
"Well..." LSS looked uncertain for a moment, then nodded. "Okay. I'll wait for you, but you need to go now."  
Donn nodded gratefully, letting LSS go and allowing herself to be wheeled into the delivery room without any fuss.  
  
----------  
  
Nuriko had tossed Chichiri's hat back into the waiting room, and Donn's Bishies had climbed out, much to the surprise of several people seated around the room. Nothing seemed to surprise the staff, who just asked them to take a seat themselves.  
Ten minutes later, Anya, Merina, their Bishies, Naruto and Vash found their way in, shaking the droplets off their clothes and out of their hair. Anya went immediately to Heero.  
"How's she doing?" She asked him, panting a little.  
"She's fine, for a woman in labor." Heero said, wincing as a scream penetrated the heavy doors. "I just hope they give her painkillers soon; I'd hate to have to kill a doctor." There was a pause, and Heero nodded to himself. "She's fine now." He said.  
"Well, that's good." Anya said, turning to sit down and spotting LSS. "LSS-sama!" She exclaimed, running over to her. "Boy, am I glad to see you! I need to talk to you."  
"Your pregnant friend in there said you did." LSS said, smiling. "What are you buying me this time? Another hot dog?"  
"Umm... would you be willing to take a rain check for now?" Anya asked quietly. "This is a bit more important than last time."  
"How so?" LSS asked, suddenly the very picture of serious.  
"Can we go somewhere semi-private to discuss this?" Anya looked pointedly at the other people in the room, most of which were looking directly at the pair.  
"That important, huh?" LSS sighed, then took Anya by the arm and led her outside. "Spill it." She said as soon as they were hidden in the mouth of an alley.  
Anya explained, as quickly and as plainly as she could, what had happened in the woods two nights ago, and probably last night as well. She glossed over the minor details, and when she'd finished, LSS was staring at her, both thoughtful and dubious.  
"Not that I'm doubting you, Anya," She said slowly, "but mindreading? Premonitions? From a trainer? It just doesn't sound plausible. How do you know Donn isn't in league with this killer? She could be lying to you, and her Bishies would go right along with her."  
"Somehow, I doubt it." Anya said. "Donn's had a very dark past. She told us about it, and her pain over those memories was so real even I could feel it." She sighed, leaning against the hospital wall. "I just can't believe it, LSS-sama. Once you get to know Donn, you'll realize that her being a part of this is even less plausible than the situation itself."  
"If you say so..." LSS still sounded unconvinced. "Tell you what." She said suddenly. "I've got things I have to do here, but I'm staying at the Imperial Hotel a few streets over. When Donn feels up to talking to me, come get me, okay?"  
"Okay." Anya agreed, nodding. The two shook hands, and LSS left with a casual-seeming wave and a trouble expression.  
  
----------  
  
Donn sat propped up in bed like a ragdoll, scowling moodily at the wall opposite her. The wall was an unoffending off-white one, unstained and very smooth. It was irritating her no end.  
"There's no color in here." She said finally, sighing. "My babies are going to grow up in a riot of color." She nodded emphatically, snuggling the two tiny bundles in her arms closer to her body.  
"Of course, dear." Nuriko said. "Would you like me to go buy you some flowers? They'd certainly brighten the place up some."  
"I don't want you to leave." Donn said, pouting. "Get someone else to go buy them. I want you to stay here with our babies and me. We haven't even named them yet, you know."  
"I suppose we really ought to do that, shouldn't we?" He said, smiling softly. "After all, a baby can only go so long without a name before he begins to feel unloved."  
"Or she." Donn corrected. "Can we name the boy Andrew? After my daddy?" She asked, tears stinging her eyes at the memory of her father.  
"I'd be honored." Nuriko said formally. "Your father deserves to be remembered in so lasting a way."  
"Can you name our daughter?" Donn asked, a curious smile playing across her lips. "I never knew my mother, and I've never gotten along well with other girls."  
Nuriko thought hard about an appropriate name for the delicate girl nestled in his love's left arm, smiling absently as Donn fussed over her children as best she could without getting up.  
"How about Yuugi?" He asked.  
"Do you know what Yuugi means?" She replied archly.  
"Play." Nuriko said casually. "She'll be doing a lot of that, too, if I have any say in her raising." He added slyly, stretching lazily.  
"It also means the responsibilities of friendship." Donn said, sharing Nuriko's smile. "I like it. Yuugi it is. Where's everyone else?"  
"At a hotel down the street, resting. Heero had to force them out of the hospital at gunpoint in order to get them to leave." Nuriko smiled at the memory of Heero standing in the middle of the waiting room, calmly informing his fellow Bishies that if they didn't leave within five seconds, he'd give them a legitimate reason to stay.  
There was a knock on the door, and Anya appeared, poking her head timidly in the door.  
"You feeling up to visitors?" Anya asked, stepping inside with a huge bouquet of red roses and some small white sprays.  
"If they come bearing gifts for me, I'm more than up to them." Donn said happily as a nurse marched into the room. "Already?" Donn asked with a sigh. "Oh, well. I suppose they can't very well sleep with me; Nuriko says I sometimes beat him up at night."  
The nurse rolled her eyes and took the twins, leaving without a word.  
"Twins?" Anya asked incredulously, staring at Donn. "Twins? You?"  
"Well, my father was a twin, and these things tend to skip a generation." Donn said, holding her arms out imperiously. "Come hug me, my friend. I have survived labor at the tender age of nineteen, and I actually want to do it all over again."  
Anya laughed and hugged the tiny girl, placing the bouquet in her lap. "I brought someone who wants to talk to you." She said, running back into the hallway for a second and returning with LSS.  
"Hello, LSS-sama." Donn said politely, cradling her flowers on her left arm and holding out her right hand. "I'm afraid we weren't properly introduced when last we met. I'm Donn."  
"Pleased to meet you, Donn." LSS said cordially, shaking the proffered hand firmly.  
"No, you're not." Donn said. "You don't have to lie about how you feel; I know the truth, and it offends me more when you lie."  
"Donn!" Anya exclaimed, horrified.  
"It's the truth, Anya." Donn said calmly. "If she thinks I've tricked you into believing a wild tale of magic and special powers back in the human world, and is considering the possibility that I might be at least partially responsible for the murders, then she should come right out and say it."  
LSS blinked at Donn for a moment, then sighed in resignation and sat down on the edge of the bed. "Nothing personal," she said, "but yes. I have to consider things like this. It wouldn't be the first time a trainer has killed other trainers, or another trainer's Bishies. It's my job to think of these things."  
"It's okay." Donn said, smiling. "I'd think the same things in your position. I trust I've convinced you that I do have unusual powers?"  
"For the most part, yes." LSS said, smiling self-consciously. "And now that that doubt has been removed, I'd like you to tell me in detail what you know."  
"Well," Donn started, settling into a more comfortable position, "we were walking through the woods midafternoon a couple days ago..."  
  
----------  
  
There you have it. Chapter eight. I know it's kind of short, but it's midnight here, and I'm falling asleep over my keyboard. When the screen starts to blur and move on you, it's time to go to bed. I'll post this tomorrow.  
  
Now that Donn and Anya have alerted the proper authorities, what can they do? Will they be able to stop this evil being, or will the problem with halflings be solved for good?  
  
Find out next time, on The Ties That Bind! 


	9. Family Troubles

To GimeGohan- stares That's a very... long... review. blinkblink But anyhoo, wow! You're just what I'm looking for! But I said that in the e-mail, didn't I? I can't remember. It's been about a minute, and we all know what my memory's like. Thanks bunches for the review, and I hope the next one's just a little shorter.

To Merina- It's okay! very hyper right now Yay! Plushies! steals da Nuriko plushie then gives it back when Andrew starts screaming No fair! I want a Ko-chan plushie, too! wails Anyhoo, yeah, poor Vashie-kun... not only is he one-armed, but Naruto's smarter than him...

To Lady Demoonica Darkmoon- Wow! I can't believe YOU of all people are reviewing for MY story! I feel so special! glomps Can I have you autograph?! gets hit with several large projectiles, like houses, swimming pools, and stoves Itaaai... Okay, okay, okay! Sheesh! Donn says thanks!

To BlackyGirl- I have a job now! I hope I'll get better at saving money now that I actually have money to save...

I think we're getting closer to the end than I thought, guys. But my muse ran away, so I couldn't tell you.

Also, does anyone want to catch new Bishies? I thought I'd ask before just giving them to you, and I know of a certain one-armed Vash who needs a good home... winkwink, nudgenudge, gringrin, say-no-more

"Those are some tiny little kids." Naruto said, pressing his nose against the nursery window and clouding the glass. "The other ones in there are lots bigger. I didn't know they came that small. Vanessa's was a lot bigger."

"I think it's cause Donn's so small." Bikky said, also watching his trainer's twins through the wide, clear window. "And there're two of 'em. They'd have to be small, or Donn wouldn't have been able to carry 'em."

"I s'pose..." Naruto said, not sounding very convinced. "They're still really tiny, though." The taller blond stood there for a moment, then turned and started down the hall. "Let's get some grub. I'm starving."

"Kay." Bikky said, running to catch up with his new friend. "Hey, didja see Dilandou'n Heero this morning?" He asked.

"Nope." Naruto said, spotting a snack bar. "Why? You got enough for a hot dog and a soda?"

"Yeah." Bikky said, taking out his spending money for the day. "Well, I saw 'em kissing right in the hallway. Can you believe that?"

Naruto made a face. "I'll take a hot dog and an orange juice." He told the lady behind the counter. "Why'd they have to do that where people could see 'em? At least when Kevin and Cesia got mushy, they went someplace private."

"I know." Bikky said with a theatrical sigh. "Can I have a ham and cheese sandwich and a coke?" He asked, sliding the bills Sango had given him across the narrow counter. "Grown-ups are so weird."

The woman behind the counter laughed and handed them their food and change. "We won't seems so weird once you grow up." She told them with a mysterious smile.

"I'm never gonna grow up!" Bikky announced firmly, biting into his sandwich.

"Sure you're not." Naruto said, rolling his eyes and walking away. "Let's go see if they'll let us visit Donn now; I'm bored."

"I'm fine, Heero." Donn insisted for the fifth time in the past two minutes. "I can walk on my own."

"Are you sure?" Heero asked, not believing her in the least.

"Would you like me to get you a doctor's note?" She demanded irritably, glaring up at him. "I know right where to find a bunch of them!"

"Okay, you're right." Heero said, holding his hands up in defeat and backing away. "I'm being an overprotective mother hen. I'm sorry. I'll try not to do it again."

"You'd better." Donn said, standing up and walking slowly to the door. "I need to get out of here. Where did they put my clothes?"

"I don't know." Heero said. "But you do have other clothes back at the hotel. Would you like me to get some for you?"

"Not until Nuriko comes back." Donn said, walking back to the bed and sitting on it. "I don't want to be left alone. There are too many strange people here."

"Hey, Donn!" Bikky and Naruto bounded through the door, almost knocking Heero over in their haste. The two blonds climbed onto the bed and hugged Donn.

"Donn, how come your babies are so small?" Naruto asked, settling down on her pillow.

"Shoes off the bed, Naruto." Donn said with a smile, pushing his feet over the edge. "And they're small because I'm small. I couldn't carry them around if they were much bigger."

"Told you." Bikky said, sticking his tongue out at the older Bishie. "Donn, how much longer are we gonna stay here? I'm bored. I don't like cities."

"I don't, either." Donn said, ruffling his hair. "As soon as the doctors let me go, we'll leave, okay?"

LSS sat on the wide bed of her hotel room, staring pensively out the bay window opposite her. Anya and her tiny friend had brought to light a very serious problem, one that LSS did not want to deal with.

There was a knock on the door, and she rose absently to answer it, a tiny frown on her face. A Tamahome in a mail courier uniform handed her a slim package, which she took with mumbled thanks. She paid him and closed the door, wandering back to the bed and littering the floor with brown paper.

Inside the package was a thick stack of papers; the reports she'd requested on mysterious deaths in the area. With a sigh, she settled down and got to work.

Anya wandered aimlessly through the streets of Sarsos, her arms full of bags from various stores she'd gone to in the past hour or so.

She was completely alone, without even Sano nearby. Normally, she wouldn't go off without at least one of her Bishies, but she needed to do some serious thinking, and didn't want any distractions.

She spotted a store with a guitar display in the window and remembered she hadn't gotten anything for Bikky yet, so she went in. She shifted her bags to a more comfortable position and began browsing, trying not to get in anyone's way. She bumped into a few people and apologized absently, thinking.

"Ma'am?" An English voice at her elbow said suddenly, startling her into a surprised yelp. "Ma'am are you all right? You've been standing there staring into space for the past ten minutes or so."

"Oh." Anya said, slightly embarrassed. "I'm fine. Just thinking is all. Sorry."

"Quite all right, Ma'am." The speaker, a tall woman with straight platinum blond hair and piercing blue-gray eyes, smiled at Anya. "Were you looking for anything specific, or did you just want to wander?"

"Actually, I'm looking for a guitar." Anya said. "For a Chibi. He's just starting to learn, and Jiro insists he needs one his size."

"Of course." The blond agreed, adjusting her sharp glasses. "If the instrument doesn't fit, how can one be expected to play with any proficiency?"

Donn frowned darkly out the window of her hotel room, absently rocking Yuugi back to sleep.

"She's late." The tiny woman announced crossly.

"Only by ten minutes, Donn." Merina said from the bed, having taken over the chore of burping Andrew, who was contentedly full and half-asleep. "Anya's a big girl; she's fine."

"So I'm a mother hen." Donn said sourly, turning her penetrating gaze to her roommate and fellow trainer. "Sue me. I've got two kids. Which one do you want?"

Merina just laughed, gently placing a fully-asleep Andrew in his designated crib.

Anya somehow managed to get back to the hotel without dropping too much. The blond from the music store, Integra, kept her from dropping everything by sending one of her employees as an escort. He was a very tall man dressed entirely in red leather with very long black hair and white skin. He also had fangs and red eyes, which all but screamed 'vampire' to her.

"Say, you never told me your name." Anya remarked while she fumbled with the key to her room. "I hope I don't wake the kids up..."

"Arucard." The vampire told her, taking the key and opening the door.

"Nice name." Anya commented. "Thanks a lot for helping me. I really-"

"Look who finally decided to show up." Donn interrupted, standing framed by the light from the hall with her arms crossed and a scowl on her face. "You said you'd be back around seven. It is now 11:39 at night. Where have you been?!"

"What are you, married?" Arucard asked, setting Anya's bags and boxes down inside the room. "It's a little late at night to be chewing people out. Get some sleep, and scold her in the morning."

"Who's he?" Donn demanded. "Were you out all this time with him or something?"

"He's an employee at the shop where I bought Bikky his new guitar, Donn." Anya said. "His boss sent him to help me not get lost. Your kids are hopefully asleep, and if you keep yelling like that, you'll wake them up."

Donn looked ready to scream for a minute, then thought better of it and stalked to her bed, ignoring the two completely.

"Are you sure you're not married?" Arucard asked as the door swung shut on him.

Damn, but this is a short-ass chapter, even by my standards. I'm feeling an end for the chapter here, though, so it stops and it stops now. Have fun.

PS- Does anyone know what LSS-sama looks like? I don't want to be presumptuous, but I can't stand not being able to describe her.


	10. A Growing Family

To BlackyGirl- Yay! Good for me! String cheese is good for me, too…

To Lady Demoonica Darkmoon- Don't worry, Zander's all safe and stuff. I've got part of it figured out now… for some reason this thing doesn't want humans and Bishies to reproduce together, and it's killing off the results of such pairings and the females responsible. Obviously, it's male. (insert idiotic giggle here)

To Merina- Hey, now you can get the Vash you made me not include since I gave you Wuffers! Looks like all sorts of stuff is working out now!

To GimeGohan- I sent you an e-mail back when you first reviewed. Did you not get it or something? Because I kind of need the stuff I asked for in it before I can put you in the story… But anyway, thanks for reviewing! But I don't think this is anywhere near Songwind's story… I'm not that good…

* * *

Chapter 10- A Growing Family

* * *

Donn paced the narrow floor between the beds of the hotel room, restless and ill at ease. She didn't want to be inside, but she wanted to be in the mob of bodies _outside_ even less. She felt useless here, and wanted to go back to the woods and face the evil there. It was much less dangerous than the evil to be found in humans, she knew.

Unfortunately, she had a family now, and could no longer do as she pleased. Her babies came first now, and they were too young and precious to be put in any kind of danger. So in the small hotel room she stayed, trying to ignore the growing wanderlust within her.

"Donn?" A voice from the hall asked, and someone knocked softly on the door. "Are you in there?"

"Yeah." She answered, walking over to the door and opening it. Vash stood there, shifting uncomfortably from one foot to the other. "Come on in." She said, gesturing for him to do so.

He did, rubbing his shoulder and looking around nervously.

"Is something wrong, Vash?" Donn asked, leading him over to the room's table and sitting in one of the chairs there. "You look nervous."

"Actually, I wanted to talk to you about something." Vash said. "I was wondering… and you seem to be the leader of the group, so I figured I should ask you…"

"Ask me what?" Donn prodded gently, picking up her mug of tea and taking a sip. It was lukewarm now, but it still tasted good.

"Well… I was kinda wondering… could one of you ladies… maybe… um…"

"Would you like one of us to catch you?" Donn guessed, raising one eyebrow over the rim of her mug. By the relieved look on Vash's face, she'd guessed right.

"Would you? I mean, not you specifically. Will you talk it over with Merina and Anya for me? I'm afraid I'm not very good with talking."

"I will, Vash." She assured him with a smile. "Why don't we go visit Nuriko and the boys across the hall?"

* * *

"Me!" Merina said, waving both arms over her head. "Me, me, me! I'll do it! I wanna!"

"Okay!" Anya exclaimed, grabbing the redhead's wrists from behind. "We get the point; you claim the rights to Vash. Now please stop acting like a five-year-old."

"But…" Merina protested so childishly that Donn couldn't help but laugh. "Okay, I get the point; I'll behave."

"You'd better." Anya said sternly, sending Donn into gales of laughter again.

"That soon, huh?" Heero asked, looking up from the farmer's breakfast he was sharing with Dilandou. "Don't you think that's rushing it a bit?"

"Not really." Daughter said confidently, biting into her own meal of plain toast. "Ish jush I wanna-"

"Don't talk with your mouth full, dear." Donn interrupted absently, alternating between brushing Nuriko's hair and gently swaying Yuugi's swing. "You'll set a bad example for the children."

Daughter obediently finished chewing and swallowed before starting again. "It's just I want to get the formalities over with up front, in case there isn't time later."

"Seems reasonable to me." Donn said, now braiding Nuriko's hair and keeping an eye on Merina, who was again feeding Andrew. "I'm fine with it if you two are."

"Well, that's a relief." Daughter said, smiling as she snatched a sausage link off the table. "And once I'm safely married, do you think we could maybe head out again? After so much wandering, it feels strange to sleep inside."

"I don't want to take two newborns out into the woods right now, though." Donn said. "And this city is surrounded by woods on all sides. I'd much rather wait until LSS-sama has done something with the killer out there."

"Speaking of whom…" Alfeegi interrupted quietly, gesturing to the dining hall entrance, where LSS-sama herself stood, apparently looking for someone.

She spotted the group and headed towards them, a cordial smile gracing her lips.

"Hello Donn." She said, slightly breathless, when she was comfortably close. "Donn's Bishies. I was hoping to catch you before you left the city."

"We're not going anywhere while you might still need us." Nuriko said calmly. "We'll be right where you can find us until that thing is taken care of or we run out of money. Hopefully the former."

"Tell me about it." LSS-sama agreed, shaking her head. "I've got a few questions for you guys, about the thing. It only comes out at night, right? And it only goes after people who aren't under cover?"

"Yup and yup." Merina said, nodding. "At least as far as Donn's told us."

LSS-sama nodded, snagging a nearby empty chair and sitting down in it. "And it doesn't attack Bishies?"

"Yes, it does." Donn disagreed. "As far as we can tell, it makes no distinction between humans and Bishies; it only seems to notice halflings and their mothers."

"So it's trying to solve the problem of half-Bishies for us?"

"That about sums it up." Nuriko nodded.

"Well… shit." LSS-sama groaned, slumping over until her forehead banged against the table. "Sometimes, I hate my job."

"Sometimes, I hate your job, too." Anya said soothingly, patting LSS-sama on the shoulder.

"LSS-sama!" An excited young man dressed entirely in khaki skidded to a halt inches from the edge of the table, flushed and slightly out of breath. "LSS-sama, we have a situation at the West gate! You'd better come!"

Without a word, LSS stood and followed him back to the door, motioning for Donn and Merina to come with her.

"How far is the West gate?" Donn asked sharply, turning to Heero.

"About a fifth of a mile," The brunette answered immediately, as the other hotel guests scrambled to their feet to see what was going on. "Go; we'll watch the kids."

"Thanks." Donn said, already running for the door. Being much smaller than those around her, she was able to worm her way through the crowd, Nuriko never more than a step or two behind her.

* * *

Chaos ruled the square directly inside the West gate; there were people everywhere, all talking at the top of their lungs, while the local police tried their best to keep a space clear in the midst of the crush. No one was quite sure what exactly all the fuss was about, nor did they care. Excitement was contagious.

In a circle roughly ten feet wide, LSS was playing field nurse to a wounded trainer, trying to stem the flow of blood between her fingers on the inside of his thigh. In the back of her mind, she wondered how the hell an ambulance was going to get through the disorganized crowd around her.

"Hey!" She called to the first idle person she saw, a girl in her late teens with short blue hair and large blue eyes, dressed in a kimono.

"H-hai?" The girl asked, hurrying over to LSS.

"Do you know anything about wounds?" LSS asked with a bit more force than she'd intended; the girl started and looked frightened for a moment, then calmed down.

"Hai, LSS-sama. I can tend him, if you wish."

"Good. Roll your sleeves up and get ready to apply pressure; I'm about to take my hands off."

The girl did as she was told, pinning back the sleeves of her kimono and even pulling a thick handkerchief from her bag. When LSS jerked her hands back, the girl darted in, ignoring the arterial spurt that caught her across the cheek as she clamped her hands down in a vise-like grip over the gash.

With a quick nod of thanks, LSS stood and ran to the nearest police officer with a megaphone. She snatched it from the poor Officer Jenny without so much as a 'please' and turned to the throng of spectators.

"All right, people!" She yelled into the megaphone, trying to reach everyone in the square without the advantage of elevation. "You need to get the hell off Alabaster Street so the ambulance can get in here! Anyone with medical training, come see me; we're probably going to need you! Everyone else, get lost! This isn't a show!"

That said, she returned the megaphone and ran back to the blue-haired Bishojo and the wounded trainer.

"How's he doing?" She asked, using the cuff of her sleeve to wipe the blood of the girl's face.

"He is not well, LSS-sama." The girl said solemnly. "He has lost enough blood already that an amputation may be necessary. I do not like to think what will happen if he does not receive professional help soon."

"I was afraid of that." LSS groaned, coving her eyes with the back of one hand.

"Excuse me," A voice to LSS's left said timidly. "You asked for those with medical training?"

"Yes; thank you!" LSS exclaimed, looking up to find not one but three boys behind her. One was shorter than the others, blonde, with large hazel eyes and a tan leather Bishbelt around his waist; a trainer. Behind him were two Bishonen, both about the same height, with black hair and a strong family resemblance. The thinner one had pale skin and yellow eyes; the other was tanned, with dark eyes and a wide smile despite the seriousness of the situation.

"Just tell us what to do, Lady." The tanned Bishie said, saluting LSS sharply. "We'll do everything we can."

"You help this young lady," LSS told him, gesturing to the girl in the kimono. "See if you can get the bleeding to stop. You two, come with me."

Trainer and Bishies nodded, obeying wordlessly. LSS took the blond trainer, who was starting to look a little green around the gills, to the least seriously wounded of the patients; a Usagi, hair down and spotted with blood. She was scraped and bruised, suffering from a concussion and threatening to slip into shock.

"Keep her awake and talking for me, okay?" LSS told the trainer. "Don't let her sleep, and don't let her fall into shock. From what we can tell, she was the target of whatever attacked them, and we need her to tell us what happened. If she asks about her baby, tell her she's all right."

The blond nodded, immediately sitting next to the Bishojo and covering her hands with his. He obviously knew what he was doing, so LSS dismissed the two.

By now, she had well over a dozen volunteers, and more than enough work for them. Hopefully, they'd be able to keep everyone who'd made it to the city alive.

* * *

"It's okay, Usagi," Adrian said for about the millionth time in the past ten minutes.

Usagi nodded uncertainly, looking at him without really seeing him. Her bright green eyes were slightly glazed, but hopefully, he'd be able to keep her from getting away from him.

"Usagi, can you tell me something?" Adrian asked, trying to sound encouraging instead of worried.

"Huh?"

"Usagi, what happened in the woods? What attacked you?"

Usagi stared at him for a while, her eyes flickering darker with… fear? Disbelief?

"It was… it was horrible." She whispered finally, her eyes looking _at_ him instead of _through_ him for the first time since he'd sat down next to her. "Like a shadow, only… solid. Like sunglasses. Could see through it… It had claws… sharp claws, like razors…" She paused, absently rubbing the scratches on her cheek. "Wanted Chibi. I could _feel_ it hating her. Hated her… Why would it hate a baby? A little kid? So sweet, my Chibi… Is she okay? It didn't hurt my Chibi, did it?"

"She's fine." Adrian assured her, still massaging her left hand. "She's just fine, Usagi; someone's taking care of her for you. Did it _want_ to hurt your Chibi?"

"Yes… oh, it wanted to hurt her _baaad_…" Usagi said, drawing out the last word for emphasis. "Like you wouldn't believe. Wanted to hurt me, too, but it wanted to kill Chibi. Can't figure out why… ignored everything else and went for me 'n Chibi…" She whimpered, gripping the shoulder of her dress in her free hand.

"Shhh…" Adrian soothed, wrapping his arms around her shoulders and stroking her hair. "You're safe now, Usagi. I'm here. LSS is here. It can't get to you anymore. Shhh…"

Usagi buried herself in his chest, although she wasn't shaking as much anymore. Adrian gave a purely mental sigh of relief, trying not to upset her again. Now that she was calm, the only thing he could do was keep her that way.

Over her head, Adrian watched as the ambulance finally arrived.

* * *

Usagi was numb for most of the ride to the hospital. The kind trainer she'd talked with stayed with her all the way, murmuring softly. There were other people in the ambulance, but she didn't recognize any of them. There were spatters of blood on everyone. She sat quietly, holding the trainer's hand and staring at the floor of the vehicle.

When the arrived at the hospital, Usagi managed to stumble down with a minimum of help. She was feeling much better now, and there were others who needed a lot of help.

When everyone else started going to the other people, the blond trainer stayed. That made Usagi feel better; she didn't want to be alone right now. Especially when she couldn't find Jason anywhere. She could feel him, in the back of her mind, as if he were far away; she just couldn't _see_ him. And that troubled her.

* * *

_And that's all you get. I'm really sorry about how long it's taking me to update my stories… I've got so many I'm working on… I need to slow dawn! No more new stories!_


	11. Darkness

To Lady Demoonica Darkmoon- o.O (stares at review) I think it'd be best to take things one at a time here… Damn, that's long… Anyway, sorry it took so long to update. Yes, Zander is safe. Women pregnant with half-Bishies should definitely stay out of the woods at night. I'm glad Merina took Vash in, too; I didn't want him to be all alone. I know, and I've always wondered about that. LSS-sama helped create the BishWorld; you think she'd be more active in it. Besides, considering what's happening in the story, she'd almost have to be around. Yes, the attacks are getting more frequent, which should be some indication of where in the story we are… As for what this thing is and where it came from, you'll just have to read and find out. Don't worry; Jason is nearby. I have something planned for Jason and Usagi that will give the storyline a major jumpstart… And if the things I'm coming up with are any indication, I've been watching Firefly too much lately.

To PeaceLoveOcelot- I'm glad you like it, although I have to protest that at times I use too _much_ detail. Most of the characters were established long before I came on the scene, so all I really have to do with them is keep them in character and write them as best I can. Donn did try to convince her friend not to go, but only managed to get her friend to agree to let her come. You have to remember, her premonitions weren't very accurate or specific at the time, so she thought just going would be enough. One thing I promised myself when I first started writing was that I would never make something horrible happen to a character without some good coming of it eventually, and I've tried very hard to keep that promise. The kids will definitely make things interesting for the gang, although it will make things a bit harder in the near future. Although if you were to read my story Death's Image you'd know that I'm not afraid to write gruesome, disgusting, horrific things, I would never kill a baby. Even if everybody else dies, even if Donn is sent back to the human world, even if the BishWorld is destroyed, Yuugi and Andrew will survive and grow up. Although if anything that bad happened, they'd kind of _have_ to grow up, so I could use them to get rid of this thing. No, I don't read much Stephen King; I'm more a Dean Koontz fan myself. From what I hear, the two have similar styles, except Stephen King is a bit more… intense. Everybody seems to be happy that Vash went with Merina! Not that I'm not, mind you. And it is a bit of a pity that you didn't find the story soon enough to claim him yourself. I would love to add you to the story, although you'd probably have to be involved in an attack of offering your services in ridding the BishWorld of this evil thing in order for it to make any sense. I'll try my hardest to get this chapter out sooner than the last one. And it's a very scary thing that just answering yours and Lady Demoonica Darkmoon's reviews took almost an entire page.

* * *

Adrian was worried.

In the human world, he'd been working his way through medical school, aiming for a specialty in psychological trauma. He'd been well-versed in his chosen field, and hadn't lost any of that knowledge during his stay in the BishWorld. Bishies were so similar to humans as to make no difference, really. Given that, he was worried.

There was something wrong with Usagi; she was much too calm. Numbness was a common coping mechanism, sure, but this wasn't numbness. It wasn't repression, either. She didn't even seem worried about Chibi anymore. She just wandered around her room, looking under and around things as if she expected to find something there. Even considering what she'd just been through, this was _not_ normal behavior.

"What are you looking for, Usagi?" Adrian asked finally after watching the Bishojo take her bed apart for the third time in the past hour.

"Jason." Usagi answered, staring at him as if he were an idiot. "Where's Jason? What have you done with him? You've hidden him from me, haven't you? Tell me what you've done with Jason!" She demanded, lunging at him like a feral cat.

Given the difference in their sizes and her current weakness, there was really no contest; it only took a few seconds for him to subdue her, twisting her around so that her arms were pinned to her sides and she back was pressed firmly against his stomach.

"No one is hiding Jason from you." He told her, speaking calmly and evenly, trying not to set her off again. "I'll ask the doctors where Jason is, but only if you promise to sit on your bed and not get up until I come back. Okay?"

After a few tense moments, Usagi nodded, and he relaxed. While he still didn't trust her to behave herself, at least she wasn't going to turn on him as soon as he let go.

He did so slowly, ready to restrain her again at the first sign of hostility. When she was standing completely on her own again, he led her over to the bed and helped her sit down, draping the thin hospital blanket over her shoulders.

"Now you stay right here while I go ask the doctors about Jason, okay?"

Usagi nodded mutely, her hands moving mechanically to pull the blanket tighter around her, as if she were cold.

* * *

"Something just doesn't feel right." Donn muttered, glaring through the observation window at the knot of doctors and nurses around one of the survivors of the most recent attack.

"How so?" Nuriko asked as Anya opened her mouth to do likewise.

"He's… empty." Donn answered, her frown deepening. "It's like there's no one there, like that's a doll they're operating on. It's not as if he's dead or retarded or anything; he's just… gone." She explained, turning away from the window. "I wonder where LSS is. I need to talk to her."

"Umm… Donn?" Alfeegi spoke up delicately, catching his trainer's attention. "I think it might be lunchtime. You're leaking."

"I'm what?" Donn asked, looking down to see that she was, indeed leaking. There were two wet circles amid the deep blue sea of her shirt, staining the area nearly black. "Dammit!"

"Let's go feed the kids." Anya said, grabbing Donn's wrist and leading the smaller girl down towards the hospital entrance.

* * *

Adrian stepped cautiously back into Usagi's room, half expecting to find her gone. Instead, she was sitting exactly where he'd left her, as if she's frozen herself in that position to await his return.

"Usagi," He said quietly, trying not to startle her. "Usagi, are you all right?"

The blond Bishojo turned to stare unseeing in his general direction, her eyes a glazed and dull green so dark they were almost black. She didn't speak, didn't acknowledge his presence; she just stared. For a moment, a nameless, decidedly unsettling emotion flickered across her face. It was akin to fear, only darker and more desperate, coupled with a kind of perverse hope. But it lasted only a moment. Then Usagi blinked, and whatever had surrounded her shattered as her eyes cleared.

"Did you find Jason?" She asked quietly. "Can I go see him?"

"Jason's resting now, Usagi." Adrian told her, trying to hide the uneasy feeling in the pit of his stomach. "He should be allowed to have visitors in a few days. You can go see him then, okay?"

Usagi nodded numbly, turning her gaze to the floor next to the bed, retreating into her mental fortress once again.

Adrian watched her a few moments before backing slowly out of the room and closing the door. There was definitely something wrong with her.

* * *

"I can't get near either one." Donn explained, absently stirring her mug of tea. "Every time I try, I start feeling nauseous and dizzy, and something keeps trying to push me away."

"Could it have to do with having a halfBishie kid?" LSS mused softly from her perch on the hotel room windowsill. "As far as we can tell, Chibi is Jason's kid, and we know for a fact that Usagi's the mom in this."

"It makes sense, I guess…" Anya spoke up. "But that Adrian dude who's been taking care of Usagi doesn't think so. He told me to tell you that he thinks that it has to do with see the thing up close. Being so close to something with that kind of power is bound to have a negative psychological affect, he says. He's worried."

"We're _all_ worried." LSS corrected, sighing. "But what really gets to me is how Usagi seems to not care about what happened. She hasn't asked about Chibi in days now. All she cares about is Jason."

"So you haven't told her yet?" Donn asked.

"Would you want to tell someone that their child is in a coma, missing half her face, and probably won't ever wake up?" LSS snapped in response. "I'm sure that's just what she needs to speed her recovery along!"

"Hey!" Donn's Heero interrupted, looking up sharply from his laptop. "There's absolutely no call to get sharp with Donn. Calm down a little and try not to wake up the kids, will you?"

LSS looked about to argue, then thought better of it and sighed again.

"It's just… I didn't create this place so things like this could happen." She protested weakly. "I didn't want this at all."

"We know, Lady," The hitherto silent Merina spoke up, casting a smile in LSS's direction. "It's not your fault in the least. But since you created this world, it's only fitting that you help save it, right?"

"Yeah…"

* * *

_It _was still out there. Still stalking them. _It_ still wanted to hurt them, to maim and kill his Usagi and their child. He could feel it, even through the haze of drugs and pain that clouded his every thought. Nothing could block it out. It was waiting outside the city. Waiting for the right moment to attack.

He could feel something else sometimes, when the drugs were just starting to wear off. There was a kind of bright light somewhere nearby, keeping It at bay. As long as the light stayed, they were safe. He had to make sure the light stayed.

But there was a third power, stronger than even It, but uncontrolled and wild, and that third power blocked the light sometimes. It wasn't dark, but it wasn't bright, either. It was hurt, an old hurt that was healed but still lurking in the background. That hurt could kill them all if he didn't get rid of it. He had to eliminate the third power so the light would always shine.

* * *

With a strange sort of half-gasp, Donn stopped in her tracks, dropping her tea mug as her hand opened and closed spasmodically.

"Donn, what's wrong?" Merina asked, running up to the small woman. "Are you all right, Donn?"

Without speaking, Donn turned to the window facing west, where the last remnants of the sunset dyed the horizon behind the city a bloody scarlet.

"It's hunting." She whispered in a frightened whisper, shivering convulsively. "And it's found its prey."

* * *

"I'm telling you, Ami, there's something out there!"

"It's just your imagination, Ben." Ami said absently, her attention still focused on the thick book in her lap. "Go back to sleep."

"I swear, there really is something out there this time." Ben protested, shifting his weight uncomfortably. "I think we should get moving."

"Ben, it's the middle of the night." Ami informed him curtly, snapping her book shut. "We aren't going anywhere. Now go back to sleep before you wake up-"

A dull thud interrupted the blue-haired Bishojo, and the pair turned sharply in the direction of the sound. There was another thud, closer this time, and a dull roaring sound not unlike that of a waterfall reached them. Beneath the roar, Ami could here branches snapping, and what sounded like growling.

"I think we should run." She said quietly, standing slowly and walking to the nearest of the prone bodies around the dying campfire. "Wake everyone up. We can't take anything with us; we can't afford the time. Tell them to get their shoes and jackets on. We're leaving as soon as everybody's awake."

Ben nodded so hard he looked like a bobblehead doll and did as he was told, trying not to make too much noise as the roaring grew louder and another thud sounded nearby.

As he worked his way around the circle, Ben could hear Ami quietly murmuring her instructions to the other half of the team. The soft sound of her voice managed to calm him down enough to do his half of the work, and he set about doing just that.

A tremendous crash shook the ground in the clearing, startling most of the sleepers into full awareness, and something black and formless faded into view on the other side of the campfire.

Ami - calm, cool, levelheaded Ami – watched the thing for a moment, her eyes narrowed in concentration.

"Everybody, move closer to the fire." She instructed softly. "It doesn't seem to like light very much; we'll be safest there." The Bishojo took a step forward herself, still watching the living shadow. A few others followed her example, and the dull roar grew slightly frustrated.

The thing let loose an ear-splitting shriek and darted towards the group, scaring most of them into stepping back. Bulma, clutching her distended belly protectively, stepped out of the circle of firelight.

With a triumphant shriek, the thing dove at her, pouring out hate and hunger in waves.

* * *

With a shriek of pain and fear, Usagi knocked aside her dinner tray, curling up in a ball and cowering against the headboard, clutching the sides of her head.

"Usagi, what's wrong?" Adrian asked, startled awake by the crash.

"It's feeding, it's feeding, it's feeding!" Usagi wailed, her fingers pressed against her skull and tears standing in her brilliant green eyes. "It's feeding! Make it stop! Make it stop, Jason!"

"What's going on in here?" A voice from the doorway demanded, and LSS stepped into the room, looking from Usagi to Adrian and back. "What's wrong?"

"I don't know," Adrian answered truthfully, staring at Usagi with fear in his eyes. "One minute she's eating dinner, happy as can be, and the next she's screaming her he-"

Without warning, Usagi suddenly pitched forward, over the edge of her bed. LSS, who was closer, managed to catch the blond before she hit the floor, cradling the Bishojo like a small child.

"Are you all right, Usagi?" She asked softly.

"Light." Usagi murmured, a strange smile playing across her lips. "You'll keep the light here, won't you? Scare away the dark when _It_ comes to feed?"

"I'll try." LSS promised, not sure what exactly the blond was saying.

"Code blue, G37!" A voice over the PA blared. "Code Blue, G37!"

"G37 is Jason's room, isn't it?" Adrian asked, suddenly worried about someone other than Usagi. "What if-"

"I need to go." LSS interrupted. "Come with me; I want you to carry Usagi."

* * *

"She said something was hunting," Merina explained quietly. "She looked about to faint, then she suddenly ran for ICU. When I got here, I saw that."

That was Donn sitting on the floor in the center of a ten foot circle of destruction, cradling a limp Jason in her arms, stroking his hair and whispering to him.

"According to the doctors, he went into convulsions about half a minute before she showed up. He wrecked the place, screaming for them to 'make it stop.' Then she came in, and he… collapsed."

"Do you think… Do you think maybe they're connected with this thing?" Adrian asked, still carrying a semi-conscious Usagi. "Donn says it's hunting, then these two go berserk. I'm willing to bet there're bodies somewhere in the woods now, or there will be come morning."

"As macabre as that sounds, it makes sense…" LSS admitted, sighing. "And if there are any more survivors, will they act the same way?"

"Vash!" Merina exclaimed suddenly, turning and running down the hall, her expression close to panic.

* * *

"Merina!" Sesshomaru exclaimed when his trainer burst through the door of their hotel room. "What's going on?"

"Where's Vash?" Merina demanded breathlessly. "Please tell me you know where Vash is!"

"He should be asleep in the next room." Sesshomaru said, pointing in the right direction. "Although I doubt it, with the racket he was-"

Before he could finish, Merina was gone again, trying to open the door to Vash's room.

* * *

"Sango-mama, will he be okay?" Bikky asked, his large blue eyes worried.

"I don't know." Sango said truthfully, trying to keep the mounting anxiety she felt out of her voice. "I won't know until we find out what's wrong. Then we'll hopefully be able to fix it."

"I hope so." Bikky said, turning his gaze to the prone body of Naruto, sprawled across the bed the two shared.

* * *

"Shhh… It's all right, baby. I'm here. It can't get you here." Donn whispered, rocking gently back and forth. "You're safe here with us. We'll protect you, baby." She closed her eyes and continued her soothing mantra, sending out waves of comfort, love, and concern. She didn't know why yet, but keeping Jason with them was just about the most important think in the world – human or Bish.

* * *

_Holy… I'm updating already? That's just about the fastest I've update in a long time!_

_Anyway, I know it's short, but at least it's something. I think we're really getting close to the end here, which means a lot of stuff will be happening soon._

_Review and tell me what you think, people! I'll go see about getting the next chapter done, okay?_


	12. Going Public

1To Lady Demoonica Darkmoon- Ha! You got lucky last time; it'll be at least a year before I update so fast again. Although I'll try to make it less than a year before this story gets updated.

To PeaceLoveOcelot- No, being the parents of HalfBishies has very little to do with it; after all, Naruto's not a daddy. Weren't you paying attention to Adrian's theories? He's going to become uber-important from this point on, because he's a very logical guy. Make special note of anything he says on the subject of It. The shifting viewpoints was supposed to emphasize all the people affected by this, as well as make it seem just a bit creepy and weird. If you thought that scene was eerie to _read_, imagine what it must have been like to write! My heart was pounding so fast I was afraid it would burst! When I write, I tend to actually transport myself into the scene, like a helpless, invisible observer… Really not good for my health, but I can't help it. If you want to start reading Dean Koontz, might I recommend you start with either Mr. Murder or Odd Thomas? Mr. Murder is incredibly creepy, and I had a hard time putting it down so I could sleep; Odd Thomas is better for those with weak hearts, although it's much sadder than Mr. Murder… I'd be happy to add you in, along with your three incredibly sexi Bishies. I'm familiar with all three, and would love the eye candy. Of course, if I turn you into a victim, I'd have to pick one to be the father of your baby… This is gonna take some serious pondering… I'll try to get this one out soon, but it won't be nearly as quick as last time…

To BlackyGirl- I'm glad you liked it; it makes me feel all warm and fuzzy inside! And don't worry- I won't tell anyone about your grandma and Dean Koontz.

* * *

The light. The light was nearby. The wild, hurt power was, too, but it didn't seem to be blocking the light anymore. Instead, it was exuding a light of its own, one that pulsed and dimmed only to flare brightly again. The two lights mingled, pushing back the darkness that followed It everywhere.

But the fatal hurt still lurked there, endangering them all. He had to get rid of the hurt.

* * *

"I don't like this." Anya said unhappily. "How long is she going to stay in there?"

"However long it takes, I guess." Merina answered, frowning. "I think she's blocking whatever threw him into a fit. If she is, it would be best if she just moved in with him."

"I think Nuriko might object to that." Anya said in a half-hearted attempt at humor. "How's Vash?"

Merina's frown deepened, turning into a full-blown scowl, and the redhead twisted around until her back was to the thick window between her and Donn and Jason.

"I don't know." She said finally. "The doctors say he should be fine, but I'm still worried about him. He just went crazy, Anya; broke everything in the room before we got to him."

"It's gonna be okay." Anya murmured awkwardly, patting the older girl's shoulder. "Vash has the strength to get through this, and so do you. Just hold on, okay?"

Wordlessly, Merina nodded.

* * *

As soon as the sun rose, a search of the woods surrounding Sorsos was organized and put into motion. Donn and her troupe of Bishies, minus Naruto, insisted on joining the effort.

"If I follow the pain, I should be able to find them quickly." Donn insisted. "Jason will be fine for now, but we need to find these people as soon as possible. LSS-sama, you have to let me help!"

"Well… if you think it'll be okay, I guess you can come." LSS conceded uncertainly. "Do you have a fix on them?"

"West." Donn said immediately. "West and a little north."

* * *

The fire was starting to die. Bulma fed the last few logs they'd stockpiled to the greedy flame, her tear- and blood-streaked face empty of emotion and thought. She tried not to look at the bodies scattered near the edge of the campsite; she tried to pretend that last night had never happened.

She wondered if they'd still need the fire once the sun was up. She hoped they wouldn't; none of them were exactly up to gathering firewood. Not with the impressive collection of gaping wounds and broken bones they sported now.

It took a moment for the sound of snapping twigs to reach her, and a moment more for it to register. When it finally did, she was almost too tired and worn to care. She hoped – she prayed – that the shadow had come back to finish her off. She didn't want to live with the man she loved and all her friends dead. She shut her eyes and moved a bit further from the fire, waiting to feel the claws that had ripped into her stomach tear through the skin on her back.

The snapping stopped for a moment, and Bulma waited in pensive silence for something to happen.

"I think this one's still alive." A soft voice said nearby. "But it's hard to tell with this kind of energy drain. Sango, come look at him."

Almost against her will, Bulma opened her eyes. Through the flickering light of the fire, she saw people moving among the bodies, kneeling beside each one and checking it for signs of life.

"Excuse me." The same quiet voice said, and a hand touched Bulma's shoulder. "Are you all right?"

Bulma turned slowly, staring blankly at the girl behind her. She had dark hair cut well below her shoulders and large, equally dark eyes in a thin face. Those dark eyes held a curious light, one that seemed made up of pity, shame, agony, and concern.

"Are you all right?" The girl asked again, kneeling on the ground. The concern in her eyes grew, dominating and erasing the other emotions.

Bulma managed a short nod, her hand straying to her stomach. "I'm fine." She whispered, unable to look the girl in the eye.

"Good." The girl said, smiling. "We're going to take you to the city now, okay?"

Again, Bulma nodded.

* * *

"The emptiness is in her, too." Donn informed LSS quietly, watching the knot of doctors and orderlies around Bulma doing their jobs. "Only worse. I'm not sure how exactly, but Bulma's even worse off than Jason. We'll have to keep her as heavily sedated as possible, or she might kill someone."

"You're sure?" LSS asked wearily. "You're sure she's that bad?"

"Positive." Donn assured her with a grim nod. "Although I can't tell you why yet."

"Yet?"

"Call me crazy, LSS, but I think that I'm connected with this thing. I can sense it all the time, not just when it's feeding. I know when it's going to feed before it does, and where. My awareness of it increases every day. It's the only explanation I can think of."

* * *

LSS stood pensively off to one side of the hastily-erected platform in front of the West Gate. She didn't hold press conferences often; they made her nervous for some reason. But the occasion more than warranted it – it all but demanded this.

"LSS-sama, it's time." One of the technicians who'd been fiddling with the sound system told her, motioning for the woman to go.

LSS took a deep breath and took the five steps to the platform with a calm dignity she didn't in the least feel. Across the wooden expanse, Donn mounted a set of identical steps with Nuriko behind her. The small woman smiled encouragingly, and LSS could feel the waves of comfort and strength rolling off her.

"Are you ready for this?" LSS whispered when the two were close enough. She was half-afraid that the stress would prove too much for Donn, or that the dark girl would be overwhelmed by such a swarm of people.

"Yes." Donn said, her eyes bright and alert despite the way her hands shook. "I can deal."

Nuriko, dressed as inconspicuously as a Nuriko could possibly be, stood behind Donn and to her left, ready to assist Donn in any way she needed. He flashed a smile at LSS as Donn moved back, giving the Lady room to start.

"Ladies and gentlemen," She began, nodding to the crowd of reporters and TV crews clogging the square. "First, I would like to thank you for attending this conference on such short notice. Most of you should recognize me; some of you may not. For those of you that don't, my name is Lady Silver Senshi, or LSS for short. I'm one of the co-creators of the BishWorld. The fact that I am speaking to you know is an indication of catastrophic events. I use the adjective catastrophic because, to all intents and purposes, the events of the past three months have been a disaster.

"It has recently been brought to my attention that a series of seemingly unrelated deaths were all, in fact, committed by the same thing." She paused for a moment to let the excited murmur die down, then continued. "There is a glitch in the world. Not in the programming; in the world. You see, this world, like anything created by man, has grown without our direct intervention. It has evolved, developed quirks, taken on a life of its own.

"For some reason, one of these quirks has taken it upon itself to rid our little world of HalfBishies."

The gaggle of reporters jumped to its collective feet, everyone clamoring to be acknowledged.

"Please." LSS said, holding up one hand. "I promise, we will answer all of your questions to the best of our ability in a moment. But first, let me finish." After the noise had died down considerably, she continued. "Those of you who wish to release your Bishies and return to the human world are free to do so, but be aware that you might not be able to come back. If you wish to remain in the BishWorld, you may do that as well. But we must ask that you not panic. This thing is easily avoided, and we are doing all in our power to remove it as a threat to the BishWorld." She paused, and the reporters leaped at the chance to speak.

"LSS-sama, exactly how long has this been going on?"

"We don't know for sure; we only became aware of the situation in the past month. We have found cases that could apply going as far back as three months, but we really have no way of knowing."

"LSS, why are you referring to this as a 'thing'?"

"Because it is not human, nor is it a Bishie. It is something we've never encountered before."

"How do we avoid it, then?"

"That's for my friend Donn here to tell you." LSS said, motioning for Donn to join her at the podium. "She knows more about this thing than anyone else in the city."

When Donn stepped up, her eyes were huge and round, giving her a slightly panicked look, and her pale face was even paler than usual, but her voice somehowshowed none of the strain when she spoke.

"This thing is nocturnal to an extreme." She stated without waiting for a question. "It literally cannot venture out during the day. The woods are its hunting grounds, and midnight its feeding hour. You will be safest if you do not wander through the woods at night. If you find you cannot avoid the woods, build a large fire – at least half again as large as you normally would – and make sure someone is always awake to keep the fire from dying. Like all powerful things, this has a powerful weakness, and that weakness is light.

"Remember that this thing will ignore you if you don't have a HalfBishie or the mother of a HalfBishie in your group, although it is always wise to take precautions. As always, there is safety in numbers, but only within reason. Three or four trainers traveling together will be at more risk than one or two. If at all possible, it would be best to remain in a city."

"Orientation buildings will be open as camping grounds for the duration of this emergency, for those of you who can't afford hotel rooms." LSS stepped in. "No one will be brought into the BishWorld until this is taken care of, so you don't have to worry about them. Please, everyone, be careful."

* * *

"That was exhausting!" Donn exclaimed, flopping down on her bed with an expressive 'oof!'

"Press conferences usually are." LSS agreed with a half-smile. "Lucky you; you don't have to attend all of them. There's a chance we might need you once or twice down the road, but that's all."

"Bleh." Came Donn's response, and LSS laughed.

* * *

_Mooo! Done with chapter twelve! Review! Review, damn your eyes! Or so help me, I'll start killing off Bishies!_


	13. FaceOff

To BlackSpell- I'll try, and thank you.

To PeaceLoveOcelot- I was joking, hun. I could never just kill Bishies because people weren't reviewing! Cause them bodily harm, sure, but never kill them! Yeah, you might have been able to word that part a little better. Thanks for clearing it up, and sorry for being snappy. You'll probably be feeling even sorrier for Bulma when you find out what I have in mind for her... Anywho, yes, the warning went out, but there will be widespread panic because of it. As for Donn, I have a few ideas to choose from, none of which I'm gonna tell you just yet. If it's horror you love, you'll definitely want Mr. Murder. It's uber scary. Oh, and your character's name is Harmony, okay?

To BlackyGirl- Thanks. I'm on a roll with this story, man! I hope this wave takes me all the way to the end, though, and doesn't leave me stranded... We'll get back to the Bishies soon, I promise!

* * *

"Oh, for the love of- ow!" Harmony exclaimed, jerking her hand back and sucking on the tip of her pinky. "That hurt." She complained bitterly.

"Are you all right?" Ryoga asked, hurrying over to see for himself.

"I'm fine." Harmony assured him, pulling her finger out of her mouth and examining it. "It was just a little shock, nothing major."

"Aw, poor Harmony." Tsuzuki said with a grin, taking his trainer's hand and examining the small burn on it. "You'll live. Now we really need to get to work, or we'll overshoot the deadline, right? Then we won't get to go out to eat like you promised!"

"Eek, what a horrible thought." Harmony said sarcastically, rolling her eyes. "If you're so worried about the deadline, how about getting back to the job?"

"You're so mean to me." Tsuzuki pouted, although he did return to his assigned task of stenciling a warning on the new cover for the fuse box.

"Aw, come on now, you two!" The fourth and final member of the group said cheerfully. "We shouldn't be fighting at a time like this! Look at that sky!"

"Look at your work." Harmony retorted. "I swear, Vash, how can you expect to get anything done if you're always looking at Mother Nature and never at what you're doing?"

* * *

Donn shivered slightly, turning away from the observation window.

"I can't." She stated flatly. "I can't go in there, not while she's like this. If she were sleeping, maybe, but not while she's awake."

"Figures." LSS sighed. "We need to figure this out, and we need to do it now, Donn. I don't want anyone else to die."

"You think I do?" Donn retorted. "I'm going to go check on the twins, then I'll drop by Usagi's room. Is Adrian still with her?"

"Yeah." LSS said, smiling in spite of herself. "He's stuck to her like glue; he even sleeps in there with her. His Bishies have given up on him entirely."

* * *

Adrian yawned hugely, stretching and standing. While an overstuffed armchair wasn't where he preferred to spend the night, it was better than the rickety plastic thing he'd spent his first few nights here in.

"Usagi, are you hungry?" He asked quietly, taking the two steps to her bedside.

Usagi didn't answer, instead murmuring something unintelligible about pandas in her sleep and curling tighter around her pillow.

With a small smile, Adrian pulled the blanket up around Usagi's shoulders and sat down on the edge of the narrow bed. She looked so innocent and carefree, the worried expression she'd worn since he met her gone, her face free of concern for a precious instant.

"Is she asleep?" A quiet voice asked from the door, making the blond trainer jump slightly.

"Yeah." He answered after a moment, easing around to see who had snuck up on him.

"Sorry." Donn apologized, stepping into the room. "I didn't mean to scare you."

"That's all right. Was there something you wanted?"

"Just wondering how Usagi was doing. Vash is coherent again, thank goodness, and so is Naruto. Justin's still out cold, and I can't get near Bulma." Donn sighed, closing her eyes as if the dim light from the curtained window was to strong for her to bear. "Carrot and Marron have given up on you, you know."

"Given up on me?" Adrian repeated, frowning slightly. "Why would they go and do a silly thing like that?"

"Because you've barely left this room since Usagi was admitted." She said with a strange little half-smile. "They think you're hopelessly romantic and smitten to boot, gallantly serving and protecting the fair damsel in the absence of her White Knight. They're making plans to kidnap you."

"They're _what_?" He demanded in a hiss, his expression one of warring outrage and flattery.

"Making plans to kidnap you. Carrot's getting pretty exotic in his suggestions; feel lucky Marron's there to keep him under control. When last I left, Marron was expressly vetoing the use of magic."

"Eep." Adrian managed, outrage and flattery giving way to shock. "Are they really serious about this? I mean, I think Usagi needs me in here for some reason... It's kind of hard to explain, but-"

"Then don't." Donn said. "I'll see if I can keep your overly-enthusiastic Bishies from snatching you away, and you concentrate on Usagi, all right?"

"Works for me."

* * *

"Would everybody please _shut up_ for a minute?" Harmony requested bluntly, glaring at her Bishies until they obeyed. "Now, would someone mind explaining to me why three grown men can't keep two five-year-olds out of trouble?" She asked, crossing her arms and tapping one foot impatiently. "Why was it that under the care of three supposedly competent fighters, Chelsea _still_ managed to get into the provisions and eat a month's supply of cookies uninterrupted? Or how Christopher somehow wandered off into the woods by himself to pick flowers? Why is it I can't even go to the store for five minutes without you three loosing control of a couple of children?"

"You know, in my defense, I warned you I'm not good with kids." Tsuzuki spoke up. "Besides, Ryoga's their father; why do _I_ have to take care of them?"

"Because you're part of the team, that's why!" Harmony snapped. "What would you have done if Christopher had been kidnapped? How would you explain that? _'He's not my kid'_? Is that your best excuse?"

"You know I didn't mean it like that!" Tsuzuki protested, looking injured. "All I'm saying is-"

"All you're saying is that since they're not _your_ kids, they're not _your_ responsibility!" Harmony interrupted loudly. "Just… just get out of my sight! All of you!" Her deep green eyes burning with rage, the livid trainer turned and stomped off into the gathering dusk.

* * *

_That pompous, arrogant, selfish, self-centered, lazy... _Running out of insults, Harmony broke off her mental rant against Tsuzuki and began repeating it out loud for the benefit of any wild animals that hadn't already fled the racket she was making.

"Not his fucking kids, huh? Just once, I'd like to-" Whatever Harmony would have liked to do to her Bishie was lost in a wordless scream of rage. When its echoes faded, the soft sound of sniffling reached her.

Curiously, Harmony moved towards the sound. It was definitely a small child crying; scared witless, maybe, or just lost. In fact, the nearer she got, the more familiar it sounded, until she pushed her way into a clearing and found exactly what she'd expected.

"Christopher!"

"M-mama?" Christopher asked, looking up at her through tearful eyes. "Izzat you?"

"Would anybody but Mama recognize that sniffle from a mile away?" She countered, striding across the small open area and gathering the small 5-year-old up in her arms. "What are you doing all the way out here after dark?"

"Lookin' for you." Christopher explained, wrapping his arms around her neck. "The ladies on TV said it's bad for mamas like you to be out at night, remember?"

A dull growl sounded behind her, and Harmony half-turned, using her own body as a shield over Christopher.

In the blanket of gloom under the canopy of leaves, a shadow moved. Darker than the surrounding shadows, and somehow more ominous, it glided slowly across the grass towards them, emitting a low, satisfied growl.

"Christopher, honey," She said quietly, "Mama's gonna put you down in a minute. When I do, I want you to run as fast as you can back to Daddy, okay?" She waited until she heard a soft affirmative before continuing. "When you get there, tell him what you remember the ladies on TV saying and tell Tsuzuki to go to the police. Can you remember that for me?" Another soft positive and a slightly puzzled growl from the shadow, and Harmony very carefully set her son on his feet. "Go."

Without hesitating a second, he took off, crashing noisily through the brush, and the shadow roared its anger as she turned to face it.

* * *

"Daddy! Daddy! Daddy, Mama's in trouble!"

Ryoga looked up sharply as his son came barreling down the road in front of the inn, breathlessly repeating his message of 'Mama's in trouble.'

"Christopher, where have you been? Where's your mom?"

Christopher, having reached the inn porch, collapsed against Ryoga's leg, good for nothing but panting for half a minute.

"Mama's in the woods, Daddy, and the ladies on TV said mamas with kids like me can't go in the woods at night, and there was a shadow-thing, and Mama told me to run and tell Uncle Tsuzuki to go to the police!"

Before the boy had even finished, Tsuzuki was halfway down the block, headed for the police station, and for once, Ryoga didn't give a damn that Harmony doubted his sense of direction.

* * *

Usagi whimpered like a hurt puppy, pulling her legs up against her chest and squeezing her eyes shut. Jason, who'd been reading to her, put down the book and picked up his Bishdex, dialing in the number LSS had given him for just these situations.

"Shadow Taskforce." A gruff female voice answered, although the screen stayed dark. "Janet here."

"Adrian; It's hunting."

* * *

An agonized scream reverberated off the walls of the small hotel room, and Naruto collapsed where he stood, managing to knock over the nightstand in the process and spilling a shatter-proof lamp and a vase of fresh flowers onto the floor.

"Sango-mama!" Bikky yelled, running to the door to the adjoining room and yanking it open. Sango wasn't there, but Kurama was, and he was just as good. "Kurama-papa, come quick! It's happening again!"

No need for him to say what; only one thing could have Bikky so close to tears, when not half a minute ago he'd been acting like any other young boy on a sugar high. Naruto had collapsed, meaning the shadow was on the hunt again.

Without a word, Kurama stood and ran for the next room.

* * *

Oblivious to the frightened medical staff clustered around the doorway of the hospital room, Bulma watched with unnatural focus as deep crimson blood dripped off her fingertips to splash on the floor. The twisted body in her lap gave a delayed twitch, and she somehow knew it would never move again. Yet, unable to stop herself, she lifted the scalpel once more and drove it deeply into the body's chest, perhaps hoping for another reaction.

She whispered hoarsely as she worked, moving the blade back and forth to form a deep, uneven gash. The pinkish-white hair of her victim was almost completely covered in the child's own blood, and the only words the observers could discern were 'feed' and 'kill.'

* * *

Harmony stared hard at the shadow, trying to gleam some kind of detail about it, but it was too dark to make out much besides a general shape.

It growled again, and she growled right back, which seemed to confuse it. It glided to a stop several feet away and shook itself.

"Let's get one thing straight, buster; I've got responsibilities here. Namely, my kids and my idiot husband who needs someone to help him find his way out of a wet paper bag. You're not killing, maiming, or seriously injuring _me_, got it?"

The shadow shook itself again, then lunged at her, stopping less than a foot away. She didn't flinch, and it drew back again, this time sounding uncertain. On impulse, she stepped toward it, and it drew back. Understanding dawned on her, although she took care to hide that fact.

_It's almost like a wild animal!_ She thought. _Dominance is all it knows! She fear, and it devours you; stand up to it, and it looses heart and backs down!_ It was so simple, so obvious an answer, she wondered why no one had thought of it before.

Another step, and she spoke to it in her most authoritive tone, one good for putting unruly children back in line. "Law of the jungle, you little bastard; I'm stronger than you. You will submit to my will, or very bad things will happen to you. Back down, and you might make it to the next sunset. Challenge me, and you _will_ lose."

Not that she was the least bit certain of victory, but it didn't know that.

_Let's just hope it doesn't call me bluff…

* * *

_

_Chapter 13 complete! Review, please! I think we're up to the last few chapters here, and thanks to Harmony, I've managed to work out a few problems with the storyline from here on out, so updates will hopefully be quicker._


	14. Plot Twist

To PeaceLoveOcelot- You have no idea how happy I am that someone's thrilled about my stories! Yeah, I had to make her someone who could boss Tsuzuki around without using cake as bait, not to mention deal with Ryoga _and_ his kids at the same time. I didn't know about your soft spot for him, but Ryoga seemed to fit the role best. Now I'm doubly glad I chose him! You have no idea how much of a help Harmony is being; she's actually becoming instrumental to wrapping up the story! Bulma is operating on the maxim 'if you can't beat it, join it.' And considering what she chose to join with, things may get worse before they get better. Donn and LSS are definitely going to be important, but it looks like Harmony may turn out to be more so. Hey, I'm glad you liked it! I was unaccountably upset when poor Alphie died…. My next suggestion for you would be Midnight; it's a much older book, but it's very, very good. I found it in a thrift store a few weeks ago.

To Lady Demoonica Darkmoon- Yeah, Bulma was real creepy in that part. Scared me witless when I went back and read it before posting that chapter. Did… did you just call me -_san_? I think I'm gonna faint….

To Merina- Much as I appreciate how much you like my story, I'm very sad to hear about your week. Then again, it's nice to know that I made you feel even a little better. Vash should be okay, unless he falls off a cliff or something. And knowing Vash, he probably would. Bulma offed poor Chibi, the girl in a coma. I'll work extra-hard to get this chapter out, in the hopes that it makes you feel better.

To BlackyGirl- Yeah, Harmony kicks ass.

* * *

"Something's different this time." Donn stated without opening her eyes. "It's…. confused. And scared."

"Scared of what?" LSS asked, leaning forward intently.

"Can't tell." Donn answered, frowning slightly. "Wait. Something strong. Something it can't feed off of." The small woman shuddered violently then stilled. When she opened her eyes, they were clouded lavender orbs, swirling like the fog in a crystal ball. "Dominance. Law of the jungle. The weak submit to the strong in order to survive. Woman. Red hair. Angry; not afraid. She's winning."

"What the hell?" Anya demanded, looking to Nuriko, who only shrugged helplessly.

"East. South. Stronger than It. A mother." Donn continued. "Like It's mother, only different. Not afraid. It's submitting."

* * *

After what seemed an eternity, the shadow finally moved.

It solidified and crept closer, seeming to drag itself across the ground. Then, to Harmony's immense surprise, it swirled and arced, forming a compact black ball at her feet, where it hovered, vibrating slightly.

Careful not to show the slightest sign of hesitation, she reached down and scooped the ball up, bringing it to eye level. It was off-black, about the size of a basketball, and darker shadows moved frantically within.

"I am stronger." She told it. "Do you understand?"

**I… understand.** A voice answered in her skull, deep and smooth. **Mistress.**

"Whoa, whoa, whoa!" She interrupted hurriedly. "Who the hell are you calling 'mistress'?"

**I submit to you, Mistress.**The voice explained calmly, and she stared at the ball of darkness. **Mistress Harmony. You have questions?**

"Damn straight, I have questions." Harmony snapped, irritable again. "For starters, why the hell are you killing off halfBishies and their mothers?"

* * *

"The melding of human and Bish results only in disaster for the offspring." Donn said in a flat, emotionless voice. "Ridicule, punishment, and shunning. None born of such a pairing have any hope of belonging. Best to die young, and never experience the hate that they would undoubtedly face. That I faced."

"She wasn't kidding about being connected with this thing." LSS breathed, as if afraid that speaking in a normal tone would shatter Donn's trance.

"Hn." Anya's Heero answered. LSS noted idly that, like any good Heero, he was taking down every word Donn said.

"Had my mother cared at all for the product of her womb, she would never have given me life. Her dark power is the only gift she left me. I wish to use this boon to free others of the pain I have felt."

"LSS-sama!" A medical intern exclaimed, bursting into the room. Despite the noise of his arrival, Donn didn't even twitch. "LSS-sama, the injured Bulma's gone insane! She killed the Usagi's daughter!"

"_What?_" LSS demanded, shooting to her feet.

"And Jason, the trainer, he's been convulsing on and off for the past hour!" The intern continued, impatiently shoving red bangs out of his eyes. "We can't find any medical reason, so we figure it has to be the shadow thing, but we can't make him stop!"

"Adrian, keep an eye on Usagi." LSS ordered sharply, suddenly every inch the creator of the BishWorld. "Heero, don't you dare miss a single word Donn says. Nuriko, take charge here. You-" She finished, pointing at the intern. "Let's go."

* * *

"Who was your mother?" Harmony asked, not daring to look away from the orb floating less than an inch above her palm.

**The lady Zandramas.** It answered, sounding slightly embarrassed. **She came to an agreement with a friend of her trainer, and I came to be.**

_That explains the speech patterns, at least._ She thought with an inward sigh. "Where is she now?"

**Dead and gone these past two decades. She passed at the hands of her trainer, when he discovered my existence. Being so young, I was reduced to this.** The shadow flared darkly and drifted downward until it rested actually on her palm. **Mistress, I beg an answer of you- what will you do with me now?**

"That depends." Harmony said slowly, her mind working at mach 9. "Have you been completely aware of everything you've done since your mother died?"

**Alas, I have.** The shadow sounded genuinely upset by that fact. **I know intimately those I have killed these twenty long years. I have become more beast than man, in my quest for vengeance and peace.**

"Do you want to die?" She asked on impulse, an inkling of an idea forming in the back of her mind.

**Yes.**

"Then you can't. Not until you make up for all the shit you've done. Got that?"

**If my mistress so deems it, I shall remain among the living.** The voice said after a short pause, sighing. **I would wish it otherwise, yet that alone makes it just punishment.**

**Yet, how shall I atone when I may no longer go openly into the world that excluded me?**

"That's a problem for another day. Right now, there are only two people who need to meet you, and that's LSS-sama and that little friend of hers."

* * *

"This is almost as infuriating as eavesdropping on a phone conversation that you can only hear half of." Dilandou complained, growling under his breath. "I certainly hope she's picking up the other side of this, too, or I'm gonna be pissed."

"You ain't the only one." Anya answered absently. "This is better than Lifetime."

"You're crazy, did you know that?" Dilandou asked, sounding exasperated. "You remind me of this off-beat Hilde I met in Heero's village; she was off her rocker, too."

"Watch what you say about my trainer, stupid." Sano muttered distractedly, his attention also fixed mostly on Donn.

Donn shuddered suddenly and blinked rapidly, clearing the lavender film from her eyes.

"Holy shit." She whispered, sounding awestruck. "It's…. it's bonded to her!"

* * *

"Now we just need to figure out how to get you to Sorsos without killing you." Harmony muttered out loud, knowing the shadow could hear her.

**If you will permit, Mistress, I could sustain myself on your energy. With such a supply of strength, I may yet be able to withstand the warm touch of the sun.**

"What, you mean like leech my life force?" Harmony demanded, snorting when she caught a timid affirmative. "Ryoga won't like that at all."

**Ryoga is your mate? An interesting man. Not one to send alone on errands, I see.**

"Hey! What did I tell you about going through my memories?" She snapped, and the orb above her shoulder flickered contritely. "Okay, leech me. Just keep your energy-sucking mind off my kids, got me?"

* * *

It was very nearly dawn when Harmony finally returned to the village, where she found Ryoga and Christopher sound asleep on the inn porch and Tsuzuki forming up a search party.

"Harmony, you stupid wench!" The Yami no Matsuei Bishie exclaimed when he spotted her, running over and embracing her. "The next time you make me worry like that, I swear, I'm gonna hurt you!"

"I'd suggest letting me go." Harmony said lightly, slipping out of his grasp. "Ryoga's waking up, and you know how he can get."

"I'll go get Vash." Tsuzuki volunteered, turning and charging into the inn just as Ryoga gained full consciousness.

"Hey, hubby," Harmony greeted him, smiling. "Didja miss me?"

"H-Harmony?" Ryoga asked, as if he didn't believe his eyes. "You're all right! I was worried sick about you!" Mindful of the still-sleeping Christopher next to him, Ryoga stood and pulled Harmony into a fierce hug. "Never do that again, you hear me?"

"Yes, dear." Harmony agreed, smiling so hard she seriously thought her face might crack. "Whatever you say."

* * *

_If that's not a twist, I don't know what is. And there's another one on the way, too, so hang tight, people! And review!_


	15. Planning and Waiting

To Merina- Yeah! Of course, there are more twists up ahead, so hang onto your hair, ladies; it's gonna be a bumpy ride. Yay! Grams lived! I'm glad your life's looking up, too. As for Zandramas, she's a character in a book series that I read all the time called _the Mallorean_. Songwind probably knows who she is.

To BlackyGirl- Was it really that cool? I just went with the flow on it; it wasn't planned or anything.

To PeaceLoveOcelot- Yup. More twists ahead. I often find myself comparing this story to a deer track. All deer are drunk; they couldn't walk in a straight line if their lives depended on it. Unless they're crossing a highway. Hugs all around for Harmony! The shadow exists half in Harmony's mind, half in the Bishworld, and it _is_ just a shadow, so I doubt Ryoga'd notice it anyway. But it can actively hide itself from people, which is exactly what it's doing with Tsuzuki. The Lady Zandramas is the kinda-uber-villian of _the Mallorean_ series by David Eddings, a definite must-read for high fantasy buffs. If you can't find Midnight, a good bet would be By the Light of the Moon or From the Corner of His Eye, both of which I own and love. Thank you for saying my writing is amazing, and for reviewing my story. I'll try to get the next chapter out very soon.

To KamiKaze no Kage- Oro? You ish speechless? You talk a lot for a speechless personator. Hooray for the twist! As I've said, there are more coming. Harmony and I are going to have _some_ fun with this story.

To AyameKitsune- Bonded. I'll try to update very soon.

* * *

"We can't go to Sorsos now!" Ryoga protested. "Have you not been watching the news lately?"

"We can't _not_ go, Ryoga." Harmony informed him dispassionately, not pausing in the systematic packing of her things. "I have information that LSS-sama needs, and damned if I'm gonna sit here safe and snug while people I can help are out there dying. Now go help the kids pack while I get Tsuzuki."

That said, she swept regally out of the room and downstairs, looking for Tsuzuki.

**Will you not tell him, mistress?** The shadow asked, its voice sounding in her head rather than her ears.

"Not yet. He'll go nuts. I _might_ tell Tsuzuki. That all depends on how he reacts to the fact that we're leaving."

**A wise course, mistress. I shall be guided by you in this.**

"And whatever you do, don't start in on the _thees_ and _thous_, got me?"

* * *

Harmony found Tsuzuki right where she expected to- in the dining room. He was working his way steadily through a triple layer chocolate cake, and even graciously shared a slice each with the twins.

"Chris, Chels, go upstairs and help Daddy pack your things." She told them. "Thank Uncle Tsuzuki for the cake."

"Thank you for the cake, Uncle 'Zuki!" The two chorused, finishing up their snack and racing each other to the stairs.

"And no running inside!" She called after them. They, of course, ignored her.

"We're leaving?" Tsuzuki asked, not sounding surprised in the least. "Is it about what happened in the woods?"

"Yeah. LSS-sama is in Sorsos, and that's where I need to be." Harmony said, sitting down and picking up Christopher's empty plate. "Gimme some of that; I need fuel."

"You're eating an awful lot these past couple days, Harmony." Tsuzuki said, serving up a large slice. "Are you feeling okay?"

"I'm fine," She assured him. "I'm just eating for two right now. And no, I'm not pregnant again." _Am I?_

**Nay, mistress, you are not with child. If you wish to bear another offspring, you need only wait six days, then try. It should take.**

_I did _not_ need to know that._

"How are you eating for two if you're not pregnant?" Tsuzuki demanded.

"Like this," _Come out now._

The shadow obediently showed itself, forming into the fluttering, cloak-like form she'd first seen it in. It hovered at her right shoulder, its edges fluttering softly.

"Harmony," Tsuzuki said slowly, with exaggerated calm, "please tell me that's not what I think it is."

"It's the shadow that's been killing halfBishies." Harmony said, shrugging. "It's submitted to me; that means I've got it completely under control. I'm going to take it to Sorsos so that LSS-sama's little friend can have a chat with it."

"Don't tell me you're letting it feed off of you!"

"Yes, I am. Say hello, Shadow."

**Greetings, Master Tsuzuki. Rest assured, I mean no harm to Mistress Harmony. I exist only to serve her wishes.**

"I don't believe you." Tsuzuki said flatly.

"Then believe _me_." Harmony snapped. "It's safe. Don't tell Ryoga, and only tell Vash if you think he absolutely has to know. But don't think for a minute I'd do _anything_ to put my kids in danger. You know me better than that."

* * *

"We're not in the clear yet." Donn insisted, shaking her head. "I'm not sure why, but I've got a feeling that things haven't gotten to the point where we can take everyone off stand-by." She sighed and adjusted her position, settling Yuugi more comfortably in her arms. "I believe the saying is 'Things are going to get worse before they get better.'"

"Figures," LSS-sama sighed, slouching lower in her chair. "Every time it looks like we've got the advantage, it turns out we've just fallen further behind. What now?"

"Now, you _eat_." Donn told her forcefully, gesturing at LSS-sama's untouched dinner. "You won't be much good to anyone if you faint from hunger just when you're needed most."

"Yes, Mommy," LSS said with a smile, picking up her fork and obediently stuffing her face.

* * *

Bikky frowned, watching in frustrated silence as his knife missed its target again. That was the fiftieth time today at least, and the one knife to connect hadn't come anywhere near the bulls-eye.

"I suck." He stated finally, plopping down where he stood and scowling.

"Yeah, 'cause you keep quitting." Naruto countered. "You can't learn how to do anything if you keep givin' up every time you miss. You used to suck at guitar, too, but you're okay with it now, right?"

Bikky pouted, not willing to concede that Naruto had a damn good point.

"And anyway, I sucked when I was a Chibi, too, so don't think you're special. Now get up and try again, or I'm takin' my kunai back, and I won't teach you the first basic thing about fighting at all."

Dilandou, who was sitting off to the side of the target range with Heero, excused himself, probably to laugh himself silly in the hallway. Even Heero couldn't help but smile at Naruto's tone.

"Naruto, Bikky, it's time to go." Dilandou said, poking his head back in. "We promised Donn we'd be home by 7, and it's 6:50 now."

"Do we _have_ to?" Bikky asked plaintively, despite the fact that he'd been planning to give up for today anyway.

"Yes," Heero insisted, standing up and dusting off his jeans. "It's about time for you two to eat."

"C'mon, Bikky; we can practice more tomorrow." Naruto said, sending the Chibi off to collect his borrowed kunai and store them properly.

* * *

"I think I may know how it's going to get worse."

"I'm afraid to ask, but how?" Anya asked, sighing.

"There's more than one," Donn said with a sigh of her own, gently lowering Yuugi into her crib. "Shadow. Three at least, probably more,"

"That could make things worse." Merina agreed. "But it also begs the question, why only one 'til now?"

"They were a cohesive whole before." Donn said, frowning. "One mind, one mission, but still separate entities. Now, one of them's split off to join up with this redheaded mother, so it's possible that their cohesive whole is falling to pieces around them. That's my theory, at least."

"That would make sense," Anya agreed. "Let me jot this down, so we'll remember to tell LSS-sama tomorrow. Right now -" She paused to yawn hugely, "- I need sleep. G'night,"

* * *

_I'm sorry this chapter is so short; I couldn't think of anything else to write. I'm also sorry about how long it took me to get this thing up. I'm a very lucky authoress to have such faithful and patient reviewers, or I'd be dead by now..._


	16. Inside Information

To PeaceLoveOcelot- Anybody ever tell you you're overly enthusiastic? Or do you only get this way when you're reviewing for fanfics? Either way, I'm not worthy of such excitement… I'll try to get this chapter out much, much faster.

To KamiKaze no Kage- Thank you, and I'm sorry. I'll try to make chapter 16 longer.

To gimeGohan- It's okay; I've been pretty lax with updates lately, what with babysitting all day long and being too tired to write at night. I'll see if I still have the e-mail I sent you, since I can't really remember half of what I asked you in it.

To artemis- Okay!

To Mikol- Wow, all 15 at once? Where do you find the time? I really hate to ruin all your illusions about my mad creative skills, but I didn't actually come up with the BishWorld myself. I got the idea from Bishonen and Bishojo! by Songwind. It's on my favorite stories list. And she didn't come up with it, either… We both just modified it to suit our own story. Although the shadows are completely mine. So I did come up with something original!

* * *

It was a very unremarkable group that entered Sorsos early one morning- just a trainer and three Bishonen, towing two small children. Nothing unusual or outstanding about them, if one failed to notice the faint, flickering shadow that hovered behind the trainer like a protective guardian.

This very unremarkable group moved purposefully to an unremarkable hotel that housed two very remarkable women. Although nobody who saw them realized it, the fate of the Bishworld rested with one unremarkable trainer and her invisible shadow guard.

* * *

"You," Donn told Andrew in an affectionate whisper, "Are going to wake up your father if you don't stop that awful howling,"

Andrew continued to wail, unconcerned with whether Nuriko was awake or not, as Donn collected a nursing blanket and a pillow on her way to the door.

"It's just a blessing Merina has Yuugi tonight, or I'd have two of you crying for me," She sighed, pulling open the door to a surprised redhead. "Wait until I'm somewhere quiet to feed him, and we can talk,"

The redhead nodded and followed Donn back to the stairs.

"You are Donn, right?" She asked. "I was working when the broadcast came on, so I didn't get a good look,"

"Yes, I'm Donn, and this warhorn is Andrew," Donn said, smiling, as the two entered one of the hotel's semi-private lounges. "There now, dearheart, you can eat to your heart's content."

"I remember when mine were that young; insatiable, always crying for more. I'm Harmony, by the way, and my Bishies should be here soon. The kids wanted to swim, so Vash'll probably stay with them, but Ryoga's afraid to let me out of his sight."

Andrew, suckling greedily, stopped fussing, and Donn gave a thankful sigh.

"When Nuriko wakes up and finds me gone, he'll probably throw a fit. But I doubt you came to compare notes on lovemates, Harmony, so tell me what brings you to Sorsos."

"A friend of mine I call Shadow," Harmony said. "He's done some pretty bad things in the past, and he wants to help mend the damage he's done. I figured it would probably be best to bring him to you."

"Where's your friend Shadow, then?" Donn asked. "And why bring him to me?"

"Because you're the resident expert on him," Harmony said, giving Shadow the okay to become visible. "After all, you're the one who told us all how to avoid him."

"I see," Donn's expression didn't change a hair as she studied the gently undulating darkness behind Harmony. "Good morning, Shadow,"

**Good morning, Lady Donn,

* * *

**

_Pain haunts them, tears at the bonds between them. What was once a whole with five parts is now four splinters, four separate entities that wish to be one again but cannot attain that unity. The missing one, the first, is gone, stolen from them, and without him they cannot be whole._

_They howl their pain into the still air as they flee the sun. With no more substance than shadows, the light can disintegrate them, and they fear it. Light is their destruction, their end, and there is thought enough in them still to fear what can kill them._

_Into the caves, deeper, where the sunlight never touches, they find refuge. Whimpering in the echoing vastness of their shared consciousness, they writhe and swirl around each other and the figure that commands them. Only in this black presence can they find peace, as their master whispers to them of love and acceptance, stroking their deformed heads. Only their master could love them, such ugly, unwanted things. To have left their master, the fifth shadow had to have been tricked, trapped up in the light, and they keen for his imagined pain and fear. He is gone from them, and master grieves his loss more than they do._

_Their master whispers of a new thing today, a thing much different from the compassion that drives them to kill. Today, their master whispers of revenge, of causing pain in return for pain of their own. Their master whispers plans to put the spirit of their fifth at ease by slaying those who have taken him._

_Today, master whispers of death.

* * *

_

It was quite a bit later when they all met in LSS-sama's hotel suite, the lounge being just slightly too public for this gathering.

Vash and Naruto had been kindly but firmly excluded from the meeting; Donn's Heero, Dilandou, and Bikky were keeping them company. No one knew what would happen if they were confronted by Shadow and no one wanted to find out.

Donn had, after much debate, decided to keep the twins with her. Harmony had enough control over her bond with Shadow that she could break it if Shadow tried anything, so there was no real danger; Sango's Kirara could disintegrate it in half a second if it came to that.

She was given the largest, softest armchair out of respect for her motherhood. She looked oddly like a child playing with dolls, Harmony noticed, and she wondered how old Donn was. She looked to be in her mid teens, but Harmony doubted she would ever see the underside of twenty again.

**Mistress, your thoughts are odd today.** Shadow noted. He was just a swirling gray mist behind Harmony, and he made no move to attack Donn or her babies. He didn't move towards them at all, even though Harmony could feel his burning curiosity over Halflings that were not only accepted, but wanted.

_Mothers sometimes get odd when they're around babies,_ She thought with a small shrug. _Do you want to have a closer look at them?_

**I am consumed with a desire to see two children such as myself in such loving arms, but I no longer wish an end to my existence.** Shadow said. **And there are several here who do not trust my intentions.**

_It never hurts to ask, you know._ "Donn, can Shadow have a look at the twins? He was a newborn himself when he was abandoned, and he's curious."

Donn and Donn's horde of Bishies looked up. Of the group, only Donn smiled.

"As a new mother, I'd be delighted to show off my babies," She said, cocking her head so that her dark hair shifted and fell over her shoulder. "I won't bite, and I doubt Shadow will, either."

The Bishies looked disgruntled, but none of them voiced an objection, so Shadow edged slowly towards Donn. When he came right up beside the chair, Andrew suddenly cooed and reached out towards Shadow, laughing.

"There, now, everything's just fine." Donn said lightly. "Andrew, this is Shadow. He doesn't feel evil at all, does he?" Andrew continued cooing and giggling, while Yuugi snoozed obliviously, until Shadow retreated just as slowly as he'd advanced.

_Well?_ Harmony asked, but Shadow chose not to share his thoughts with her.

"If we're all done," LSS-sama spoke up. "I think it's time we got down to business."

Shadow, next to Harmony, flickered a bit darker.

"First of all, Shadow, we have some questions for you." LSS-sama rifled through a thick stack of papers before finding the one she wanted. "First, Donn thinks there's more than one shadow out there still. Is she right?"

**Yes.** This time, everyone heard him, not just Harmony. Those unfamiliar with mind-to-mind contact jumped and looked around, a bit wild-eyed. **We numbered five before my mistress called me, and they now number four. Without the oneness we attained as five, I do not know how much more dangerous they will be.**

"Wouldn't they be less dangerous now?" Alfeegi asked. "They've lost twenty percent of their strength, haven't they?"

**As a single unit with five united minds, we were as a war machine in perfect order.** Shadow said. **Take from a war machine the part that tells it which other war machines are friend and which are foe, and will the damaged machine not attack more frequently, as it can no longer discern its true target? Take from a group of rogues their leader, and do they not become unpredictable?**

"Are you saying you led this… this… Shadow Gang?" LSS asked.

**Not I, but I was the first and therefore senior. I was given the task of seeing the younger ones did not run rampant and killed only the targets chosen. Without the restraint I placed on them, they may begin to attack any unfortunate enough to be in their path.**

"There's no leash on them now?" LSS demanded, paling. "Oh, God…"

**My lady,** Shadow began tentatively, **there is but one who may control them; their master, who found me and gave me this form that I might avoid death. Their master sustains them as they are, and without him, they would fall to ash and dust. Their master is your true foe, and will be no easy kill.

* * *

**

_I know I promised a longer chapter, but…_

_I'm sorry! Please forgive me! Don't make me get Richan-san in here to apologize for me. I'll do it. You know I will._

_So say you forgive me, and spare us all the drama._


	17. Confrontation

To PeaceLoveOcelot- I still apologize that the last chapter was so short. I swore I'd make it longer, but… Anywho, I'm normally a very excitable person myself, so I don't mind enthusiastic reviewers. Makes me feel like I'm not the only spaz in the room, you know? I'll try to not take so long updating this time around!

To Mikol- Meep! I'm so sorry! I'll try, I really will!

To KamiKaze no Kage- You'll find out more about the master soon enough. I'll try to update sooner this time, please just bear with me!

* * *

The trees were huge, the sky was clouded, the night was dark, and Emily was scared.

She'd been running for a very long time, days at least, and she was too tired to run anymore, so she'd found a tiny cave and hidden in it. But her refuge was a prison now, because there were monsters out there, real monsters that had been reported on the news, and she was exactly the kind of prey those monsters liked best.

That was why Mommy and Daddy had left her, wasn't it? That was why she was all alone, right? Because Mommy wasn't her real mommy- her real mommy had been a trainer, and Daddy wasn't a trainer, so Emily was just a danger and not worth the trouble, right?

She fought back the tears that threatened to spill; the monsters might be able to smell tears, or taste fear on the wind, or hear her sniffling. She didn't know what kind of power they had. Maybe they could sense her body heat, or feel her breathing through the ground like spiders could feel something in their webs.

Thinking like that only made her want to cry more, but she couldn't stop herself. She was thinking in circles, about how they'd find her, and what they'd do once they did. Monsters usually ate children, so maybe they'd cook her up into soup, or cut her into strips, smoke her, and eat her later. Or maybe these monsters liked to eat children raw, so they'd just divide her up and munch on her while she was still all bloody and warm.

A sound broke into her thoughts, the barest whisper of something moving outside her cave, and she couldn't stop the little whimper that welled up between her lips and escaped. It sounded louder than thunder, and she couldn't imagine whatever it was out there _not_ hearing her.

The first whimper led to another, then another, then a sob, as something came right up to the cave. She tried to scream when it reached for her, but couldn't get enough breath for anything but an odd, wheezy gasp that broke into stutters as it grabbed her and began pulling her out into the open, where the monsters would come and have her for dinner.

"Please don't eat me, please don't eat me, please don't eat me-" She heard herself begging. She didn't want to die, she didn't want to be eaten. She wanted to be safe. She wanted Mommy, her real mommy, the mommy who'd held her and told her that she'd always be safe from monsters as long as she was a good girl.

"I'm not going to eat you, baby." The thing holding her said, and her begging dissolved into hiccups as she tried to think if monsters were supposed to sound nice. "Shhh, it's okay. I'll take you somewhere safe, okay?"

Monsters… monsters were mean and scary. And the monsters that ate little girls were so scary that they couldn't hide the fact that they were monsters. They were too greedy for little-girl soup to take the time to lie. Right? This person was too nice-sounding to be a monster, and he was holding her carefully, without squeezing the way her second Mommy did. He had to be a monster-slaying knight or something, didn't he?

"Hey, kiddo, stay with me." He said. "You're safe with me. I promise, stay with me, and I'll never let you be hurt again, okay?"

Monsters couldn't make that kind of promise. She was sure of it. She nodded, fumbling her arms up around his neck, and closed her eyes against the oppressive darkness of the forest around her.

She was safe.

* * *

Harmony shivered in a sudden deathly chill, looking up from the block castle the twins were building in time to see Shadow flare an angry, murderous red.

"What is it?" She asked, half-rising from her chair.

**He hunts!** Shadow exclaimed, his rage making his voice much louder than usual. **He hunts another servant, an innocent to corrupt to his will!**

"Where?" Harmony demanded, already all the way up and halfway to the door.

**Near.** Shadow said, and she could feel him straining off towards the northern stretch of forest. **Very near. Make haste, Mistress- I will not allow another victim to be taken in as I was. Hurry, or I will leave alone!**

* * *

Pure luck had LSS visiting Merina and her Bishies when Vash went rigid, then collapsed. It was a sure sign that the murderous shadows were out and about. And more than that, LSS could actually _feel_ one of them, like the unpleasant feeling of cold mud on bare skin- she felt suddenly, inexplicably afraid, as if this hunter had the power to destroy her very soul.

"I have to go." She said abruptly, cutting off Wufei in mid-question. "Merina, take care of Vash; I'll go check on Donn." She was out the door before anyone could protest, and thank goodness- there was no time for bickering or questions.

She hadn't gone more than five steps before Harmony burst from her own room down the hall, Shadow weaving a restless spiral around her as she ran past LSS. No need to ask how she knew; Shadow must still be in tune with the others, and he would have told her.

Donn was standing in the door to her room, pale as a ghost and shaking. If LSS could feel this thing, how much worse must it be for Donn?

"Lady-" Donn said, her voice breaking. "Lady, it… it's h-_him_. Th-the master," Her eyes were huge and frightened, and she looked more like a child than ever. "Oh, God, Lady, he's so strong! I can _feel_ him, and I've… I've never felt something so… so… evil…" Her voice devolved into a whimper, and LSS's heart went out to her, but she wasn't done yet. There was still information they needed before Donn could cave.

"Where, Donn?" She asked urgently, grabbing the tiny woman by the shoulders and giving her a quick shake. "Tell me where, or will Harmony have to face him alone?"

* * *

Harmony hit the street running, and didn't slow down. Shadow's urgency had her in its grip, and she's rather die than stop. Somewhere close by, there was a child in danger, a child who was about to lose everything that made them who they were, and she'd be damned if she'd let that happen without at least _trying_ to stop it.

She bowled over a startled young man as she rounded a corner, and barely heard his heartfelt cursing as she shot down another straightway, headed for the North Gate. He was insignificant at the moment. If she lived through this, she'd track him down and apologize later.

The gate loomed huge and dark ahead of her, and she found the strength within her to put on another burst of speed. The only thought in her mind was to get out, find the bastard, and get that kid away from him.

A pale flicker to her left proved to be Eternal Sailor Moon, her usually gentle face grim and set, her eyes a cold and unforgiving blue.

"Donn sent us!" She shouted over the wind of their passing. "You'll need the help!"

'Us' proved to be Eternal Sailor Moon, Daughter, Sango, Jiro, and Merina's Sesshomaru. There was probably an enchanted straw hat somewhere nearby, too, but Harmony couldn't see it. She could only be grateful someone had managed to keep Ryoga from following her; if she died, someone would have to take care of the twins. They were far too young and sweet to become orphans.

* * *

He'd been taking a deliberate risk, coming so close to the city, in hopes of drawing out one or both of those women. LSS would have proven quite a prize, but he'd like to get his hands on Donn even more. She was highly unusual, for a trainer, and he'd like to test just how much she could take. Plus, she came with that great crowd of Bishies, and two newborn babies that could be raised as his soldiers. He lingered, waiting patiently for either boon to walk into his trap, and his patience was soon rewarded.

Long before he heard the sound of someone running towards him through the trees, he felt the faint, whispering touch of a human mind on his. It was neither Donn nor LSS, but it still bore the traces of a woman who had given birth to Halflings.

The child in his arms, the trembling little Halfling girl, was already giving over her trust to him, she was so desperate for affection and security. She would be an excellent weapon against this strange woman.

* * *

Daughter was the first to be attacked, but she didn't go down immediately. They'd been prepared for an attack the moment they cleared the gate, so she wasn't caught off-guard.

She tucked her tiny wings in close to her back and dove, falling to the ground in a controlled tumble, and came up with a levinbolt in each hand. The bolts were powerful, yes, but they also burned, shedding more light than a torch as they streaked under the tree branches and bored into shapes that might have been arms and a torso. Even as the thing shrieked in agony, she was readying a second volley, and Sesshomaru had dropped back to assist her.

* * *

Donn clung to her sanity with grim determination. She wouldn't be much use in a physical fight, but she was still needed. LSS needed her to give her reports on what was happening in the woods, and her Bishies needed her so they could keep in touch with each other. She could fall into a gibbering heap once this was all over and they'd survived, but that was not an option now.

Dilandou, Kurama, and Alfeegi had gone off with Anya's Bishies in Chichiri's magical hat; Noriko wouldn't have left her if she'd ordered him to, and she couldn't bring herself to ask him to go. He was keeping track of Naruto and Bikky, and thank God Yuugi and Andrew were young enough that they slept more often than not.

She went cold all over as she saw, through the minds of her Bishies, Harmony break though into the dark clearing where Shadow's former master stood. He was holding a dainty little girl with long midnight-black hair and enormous eyes filled with adoration.

"He has the child." She reported woodenly. "She… she trusts him. He'll use her against us."

LSS nodded, as if she'd expected as much, but Donn knew the news gave them all the same empty feeling, and they were both thinking the same thing.

There was a good chance the child would have to die.

* * *

Harmony skidded to a halt in the soft grass. Though she was cursing a blue streak inside, she gave no outward indication.

She'd really, sincerely hoped he hadn't managed to catch the kid. She was such a sweet-looking thing, and Harmony wasn't sure if she could bring herself to kill her.

**Things may yet lead away from that end.** Shadow reminded her with forced optimism; she ignored him, concentrating on what she could see of this 'Master' guy.

He wasn't too terribly tall or thick, but even the gloom under the clouds couldn't hide the fact that he had one of those perfect-warrior bodies. He was probably incredibly handsome, but Harmony told herself that he had to have undergone surgery or something, since his features had just that right degree of regularity that screamed out: _this operation was not covered by my insurance!_ Even in the darkness, she could tell his eyes were green-gold, like a cat's, and she thought she saw a fang when he smiled at her.

"So," He said, in a voice that might have been seductive under other circumstances. "You are the lovely lady who stole my first and most loyal follower."

Jiro, who hadn't said three words in the same hour since Harmony had met him, surprised her by speaking up.

"What isn't yours can't be stolen from you, Ma'ar." The android said quietly. His identification startled Ma'ar enough that he blinked owlishly.

"You seem fairly well read, for a robot." Ma'ar said finally. "I wouldn't expect to be recognized so easily."

Jiro just stood there, unshaken by Ma'ar's vivid feline gaze. "If you didn't want to be recognized, maybe you should have made sure I was destroyed before you killed my sister."

"She was an abomination." Ma'ar said with a dismissive shrug.

"Don't start believing your own hype." Jiro said, showing more anger than anyone had thought him capable of. "You couldn't care less who you kill, as long as you can spill blood. You only chose halfBishies because it would give you an army to control."

Ma'ar neither confirmed nor denied, just stood there with that infuriating smirk on his face.

* * *

_Could it be? Could Ma'ar really just be doing this for kicks?_

_As any other Valdamar fan out there will likely agree… Probably._

_Review! I'll get working on the next chapter._


	18. Finality

"Ma'ar?" LSS repeated, biting her lip. "This… this is bad."

Donn nodded, her expression blank with concentration. "I don't know where he's getting his power from, though; this is beyond anything he should be able to do."

"No, it's worse than just that." LSS said. "Ma'ar's not even supposed to _exist._ He's too strong and too amoral. The coding for the Valdemar line of Bishies was written specifically to exclude him and all his incarnations. I don't understand how he could be here in the first place, forget about the things he's been doing. _That's_ what worries me."

"Is there any chance the coding might have… mutated?" Adrian asked uncertainly. "I don't know much about computers or anything, so I may be going down the wrong road here, but if the coding changed itself or altered over time, would that account for it?"

"Possibly, but we have programmers scanning the codes at all times. A change like that would be noted and fixed within a day or two, and damage control would have been sent out."

"Then maybe the code was deliberately altered." Nuriko suggested.

"What about An'desha?"

Everyone but Donn turned to stare at Heero as if he's suddenly sprouted a second head.

"What?" He asked. "I've read the books. Does the coding include An'desha?" LSS nodded slowly after a moment, and he sighed. "Then if An'desha is included, is there any chance that code might alter itself enough for him to be born harboring Ma'ar's soul?"

* * *

There was a storm brewing overhead. Harmony could smell it on the wind. It would make the perfect backdrop to this melodramatic scene from Hell. Was the weather matrix random?

She'd never stopped to think about the BishWorld, really. She'd known on some level that it was just a bunch of coding at its core, but the knowledge hadn't really soaked into all the layers of her brain before now. It all just felt so real, and her head spun just thinking about how complex it must have been to build and maintain. Strange, the things the mind could zero in on at times like this.

She shook herself mentally, hauling her attention back to the scene at hand. She couldn't let herself be distracted. Not now.

Jiro and Ma'ar were still facing off, and Harmony did not want to be the one to come between them. That was a good place to get killed.

The others were ranged behind her and Jiro- she wished their presence was more comforting.

The little girl watched them all with big, innocent eyes. The mother in Harmony cried out to get her away from the evil thing holding her, to steal that child and protect her from the world.

But again, that was a good way to get killed.

So Harmony stayed where she was, watching tensely and waiting for someone, anyone, to make a move.

It was Jiro who finally broke the stalemate; he emitted one blinding flash of light, and the bell-bottom-wearing guitarist was replaced by a blue and red android, its large yellow eyes glowing almost madly in the darkness. He stayed that way for maybe a split second, then launched himself across the clearing, moving almost too fast to see.

The little girl shrieked in terror, shrinking against Ma'ar, who evaded the rush easily, only to place himself in the path of another attack, this time from a huge white tiger with shaggy fur- Byakko, meaning Tsuzuki was here. Harmony felt a bit better at the thought, and wished she dared look back. Tsuzuki's disarming grin would make her feel so much more confident they'd survive tonight.

Lightning flashed overhead, five bolts in quick succession, accompanied by the expected thunder, but Jiro seemed not to notice. His attention was focused so exclusively on Ma'ar that he didn't even seem to be paying attention to the girl. Byakko didn't share his indifference, but as long as Ma'ar was holding her, the kid was in danger.

Harmony was only human, one insignificant human mother amid a group of powerful Bishies. But she was brave, courageous, selfless, and very very stupid- she gathered herself, waiting for an opening, and rushed Ma'ar as soon as she saw one.

She collided with the slimy bastard, shouldering him to the ground, and all but tore the kid out of his hands, holding the little girl tightly even when Ma'ar struggled to his feet, kicking her hard enough to send her rolling.

"A pity you would see your children motherless so soon." She heard him snap under the constant thunder as rain began to pour down on the clearing, running into her eyes and making it hard to see. "No matter- your death will be a useful catalyst in changing them."

**No!**

Something huge and dark struck Ma'ar from behind, sending him staggering, and Shadow, barely visible through the rain, loomed out of the darkness.

**You will not harm Mistress Harmony!** Shadow thundered, his voice reverberating inside her skull and making the little girl cover her ears with a wail. **I will murder you myself, foul beast!**

Ma'ar turned on Shadow, Harmony forgotten for the moment, and his hand began to glow, brighter and brighter. Light- Shadow's one weakness. The only thing that could destroy him. Harmony dropped the girl, struggling to stand in the mud that coated the ground and sucked at her feet. Ma'ar had to be stopped. She was not going to let Shadow die.

The ball of light vanished as something else huge and dark slammed into Ma'ar- Sango's giant boomerang. Eternal Sailor Moon hit him from the other side with a powerful blast of energy, the light somehow all spilling towards Harmony and away from Shadow. Daughter's attack was a spear of light that buried itself in Ma'ar's back, making him scream in pain.

Then, from above, like a two-toned arrow of darkness, came Jiro.

Robot and villain exploded in a raging fireball, knocking Harmony back and onto the child they'd come to rescue. She tumbled through the mud, somehow managing to curl herself around the kid, taking the brunt of the impact when the were thrown straight into a tree.

Something flickered darkly at the heart of the fireball, and Harmony was filled with a heavy sense dread. This wasn't over.

The night got suddenly even darker, and Harmony noted with detached amusement that she was on the verge of passing out, right before she did just that.

* * *

"Jiro destroyed his body." Donn said, her voice tightly controlled. "I have to finish this." She opened her eyes, looking around at those still in the room. "Leave. All of you."

Nuriko made to protest, but Donn shook her head.

"You have to go, love." She said softly. "None of you have what it takes to help me."

"I do." Adrian spoke up. "Or my Bishies do, at any rate. Marron especially. You can't fight him alone."

Donn opened her mouth, then closed it again and nodded. Everyone but Carrot and Marron filed out, Nuriko leaving last, biting his lip as he closed the door. Once they were all gone, she held out her hands.

"Circle." She said. "Hurry. We've already lost too much time."

* * *

Through an endless world of chaos, they followed a trail of darkness. Where around it was swirling lights, glimpses of fragmented ideas and clustered streams of coding, the trail was empty black, as if the thing they followed had simply eaten its way through.

There was a soft glowing presence to one side, a sharply bright one to the other, flanking the essence that was Donn as she flew through the digital Chaos Lands, grimly chasing down the core of the foulest thing she'd ever touched. The trail didn't follow the natural contours of the Lands, but had simply blasted through in a straight line, like a shot from a cannon.

The trail grew somehow darker as they closed in on the end, three steadily burning lights, surrounding what must be Ma'ar's stronghold.

It was a thing of energy, colors and codes from obviously different sources all mashed together and laced through with darkness, seamless, endlessly shifting, with no visible door.

The brightness that was Carrot moved forward, touching Donn's light, letting their edges blur together, and she felt power flow into her, hot as fire but not painful. Marron moved back, brushing against her with feelings of warmth and strength, hooking into them both and grounding himself.

Through Marron to Carrot and from Carrot to Donn, an endless flow of energy filled her, drawn from the will and wish of everyone this monster had touched, every soul he had wounded, every friend lost and family destroyed. Far more than the three of them could have ever produced on their own- enough to finish this fight forever.

Anchored and armed, Donn moved forward, Carrot still beside her, and began to claw at the walls of the stronghold. It turned slippery under her, and she made herself piercing sharp, scoring holes before it became flexible, and she made herself hot, burning through it, changing herself to best combat what the stronghold became.

She breached the wall, and Ma'ar tried to flee, but Carrot caught him, driving him back, until they had him cornered.

Donn screamed a war cry she didn't know with a voice she didn't have and gleefully tore Ma'ar's soul to bits.

* * *

Harmony opened her eyes slowly. The rain was slacking off, and the sky above the trees to the east was beginning to lighten. Dawn.

She struggled into a sitting position, then to her feet, swaying. The kid was still clinging to her, out cold, as she took a wobbly step forward.

The center of the clearing was a crater, a good six feet wide and at least four feet deep. In the bottom was nothing recognizable; just a jumble of ash, blackened bone, and twisted bits of metal. Had they won, or had Ma'ar escaped?

The sense of dread that had overcome her before she'd fainted was gone. She just felt tired now, and she wanted to see her babies.

She swayed again, more forcefully, and fell heavily against Sesshomaru.

"Shadow?" She heard herself ask.

"Gone." Tsuzuki answered gently from her other side, laying a hand on her shoulder. "We should go home."

Harmony nodded, looking around. Everyone was wounded. Those who hadn't fought Ma'ar directly must have been fighting his shadows. They all needed patching up, and to see if they'd really done anything but make a lot of noise and smoke.

"Let's go."

* * *

The cloud cover was beginning to clear outside the window when Donn opened her eyes.

Carrot and Marron were gone, and she was in bed, curled against Nuriko. By the thin sunlight streaming through the curtains, it was late morning.

Nuriko was sleeping, and someone had moved the cribs into the room- Yuugi and Andrew were contentedly snoozing as well. Anya was slumped over in a chair near the door, but she opened her eyes when Donn sat up.

"Hey, hero." Anya said with a slight smile, moving to the chair next to the bed. "What do you want to hear first?"

"Who did we lose?" Donn asked quietly, and Anya's smile vanished.

"Jiro." She said just as quietly. "Kurama. Shadow. Marron."

Donn nodded with each name. She'd known they were all dead, on some level, but she'd also known she'd never accept it unless someone told her out loud. "Sango?"

"Taking it hard. Bikky and Naruto are with her. So's Adrian. It helps him to help her."

Donn nodded again, suddenly feeling as tired as if she hadn't slept all morning.

"Go back to sleep, honey." Anya said, gently patting her hand. "You'll feel better." She pushed Donn down, tucked her back in, and smiled at her. "I'll tell you everything else later."

Donn waited until Anya was gone and the door was closed before bursting into tears.

* * *

Usagi's eyes were empty as she stared at Harmony. Jason's were focused on the hospital blanket over his lap. They were both doing much better than they'd been yesterday, but that honestly wasn't saying much.

Emily, for her part, was fidgeting nervously and trying not to let it show.

"She needs parents." Harmony said, her tone gentle to soften the blunt honesty of what she said next. "Chibi is dead, and she's not coming back. I'm not saying replace her- I'm saying don't selfishly let all the love you two have go to waste when Emily needs it so bad."

Usagi looked away, biting her lip, and Jason sighed.

"You're right." He said at last, looking up. His eyes shimmered with tears, and he sighed again. "Damn you to the nine hells, woman, you're right. We can't brood, and we can't build our lives around a loss."

Emily looked up, her expression hopeful, and Jason managed to smile at her.

Usagi's eyes were still dead, but she smiled a small, sad smile of her own. "It's what Chibi would have wanted. And she _was_ begging us for a sister."

Emily squealed happily, jumping out of Harmony's lap and swarming up onto the bed with her new parents. Usagi's eyes were still dead and Jason was still on the verge of tears, but all three of them were smiling when Harmony quietly left.

* * *

It seemed like a lifetime ago when they'd given Bikky and Carol their roadside graves. Had it really only been a year since then?

Donn sighed, closing her eyes. A few months made the pain of losing Kurama a bit duller, a bit less cutting to handle, but it still hurt. Ma'ar was defeated, but it had cost her a dear friend, and a friend she was just getting to know.

Usagi and Jason were in the process of formally adopting little Emily, and the three of them seemed to be on the road to recovering. How many Halflings could they have saved from being orphans if they'd known sooner?

Daughter and Alfeegi were officially married, Anya was pregnant, Adrian was spending his every waking moment with LSS – they claimed to be planning Halfling benefit programs, but Donn had her private suspicions otherwise – Naruto and Bikky were inseparable, and the Bishworld was safe again.

But for all the good that had come of this, did it really outweigh the bad? Was there more they could have done? More lives they could have saved? Some way they could have prevented one tragedy or another?

She opened her eyes and sighed. The questions never stopped coming.

"You're thinking too hard." Heero noted. "Stop it."

Donn couldn't help but smile. The questions never stopped coming, no, but neither did life. "Yes, Mommy."

"Don't make me use hippy speak."

"Dear God, anything but that!" Donn exclaimed, laughing outright, and ducked as Heero lobbed a pillow at her.

"Go have sex with your husband." He ordered sharply, and she laughed again.

"Yes, Mother." She replied, running out of the room before he could throw something else.

Sometimes, the only way to find the answers to the questions was to move forward with life and hope it provided them.

And until then, she had a husband to go sex.

* * *

_Oh. Em. Gee._

_It's finished._

The Ties That Bind_ is done. Over with. Finito._

_This is my second finished multi-part story and my first update in I think more than a year. Oh my goodness._

_Thanks so much for everyone who read this, and especially to those of you who stuck by me from the start. Thank you also to the creators of Anya and Merina and the inspiration for Harmony- I never would have made it without you guys._

_LSS, if you're out there, I'm sorry I gave you a maybe-romantic interest! Please forgive this humble authoress! Don't smite me. I'm too pretty to die._

_Gah, this feels so good, even with a toddler screaming bloody murder in the background. I hope you'll all bear with me as I struggle to finish the rest of my stories, and I hope you all enjoyed this one. Thank you so much for your tolerance and understanding, and most of all for your support._

_I love you all!_


End file.
